In the Ever Afterlife
by twitchy witch
Summary: Did Evie *really* think she could trust Ash when she asked him to help her fake her own death?  Silly witch.  Complete at last!
1. Our Story So Far

_Complete at last!  
_

_If you're just here for the promised smut, check out chapter 6, 26, 42, 56, 58, 60, 74, 75, 77, & 83. If OCs annoy you, just skip to 58-60, which is a lovely sexy subplot devoted entirely to Rachel and Al. ;)_

_If you like chapters 1-13, you can read them again from Ash's point of view in "Demon Headgames."_

_Finally, if you want a quick, more detailed refresher of the events up until chapter 60 or so, you can read a humorous summary in "Ash and Evie in Fifteen Minutes."_

**Introduction and Summary**

This story is a sequel to "The Scar," "Ashes to Ashes," and "The Mark," so you should probably read those first before you dive into this one. But there's a summary below if you don't feel like bothering. Ash and Evie are my original characters, but Al, Rachel, Pierce, Newt, Dali and the rest of the world is that of the Hollows. It's canon up through the events of _**Black Magic Sanction**_, incorporating some plot elements from _**Pale Demon**_ with the intention of making them fairly compatible. (At least until _**A Perfect Blood**_ comes out this spring…*g*)

Here's a summary of the previous stories:

In "The Scar" we meet Evie, a grouchy college professor who is telling her story of how she got a scar on her face to a student. She and her friends summoned the demon Ash as teenagers, and he kidnapped all of them except for Evie, who escaped through a lucky break. It turns out that the student in question is the grandson of one of the victims.

In "Ashes to Ashes" that student decides to try a summoning of his own, and Evie decides it's time to face her past. The summoning is a disaster, and Evie bids farewell to her lost friends, having realized that she may never know what became of them. She confronts Ash again, who gives her his summoning name, and loses her university job.

In "The Mark," Evie has become well established as a demon summoning consultant. Ash proposes a way he can protect Evie from others of his kind and gives her a modified demon mark. Now he can come running to her aid if she's ever snatched by another demon- and claim her for himself, of course. It provides a deterrence against snatching. Evie takes offense at his method of marking her, and fun stuff happens.

But she continues her dangerous career path, until someone inevitably gets a little too fed up with her and sends three of her demon buddies out to get her. At once. She really doesn't stand a chance. Life as she knew it is over; thus, the title.


	2. Broken Promises

**In the Ever Afterlife**

**In Which Evie Loses Her Old Life. (Again.)**

"They're coming, Evie," Ash said, as I huddled in my protective circle, panting. He'd been very determined today, had very nearly caught me. I was still shaking from the adrenaline. "You can hold a circle against me, or perhaps Al or Devi, but not all three of us together. We were all summoned tonight. For you."

I knew it. I couldn't look at him.

"You've lost, Evie," Ash continued, unrelenting. "Drop your circle."

I fingered the watch that held my suicide charm. If I were going to do this, now was the time. The mark on my chest burst into burning pain, no doubt a sign of his displeasure. It was the only thing I could feel, now, under the numbness that was stealing over my thoughts. "No. I'd rather die."

Ash stepped nearer to the barrier, his voice soft and deadly. "Evie. Suicide isn't going to save you. Not while you wear my mark-"

"Then take it off." I still couldn't look at him. "Take it off, now! You promised you would, when I said. I say, take it off!"

Ash stood silently for a moment. "If I do, and it takes all three of us to break your circle, my claim on you will be contested."

"I don't care! I'll be dead by then anyway. Take it off!" I could feel my psyche beginning to give way to madness. Everything had caught up to me. There was no way out. No way other than death. "Take it off and let me go!"

"No."

My world fell utterly still.

"No? Ash, you can't say no! We made a bargain! You can't go back on it!" I raised my head to stare at him, hurt and betrayed. "You can't!"

Ash stared back, dark demon eyes unreadable. "I shouldn't. But I can."

I gaped at him, open-mouthed with horror. That Ash would break a bargain, just up and go completely against his word, had never, ever occurred to me. "Ash," I said, my voice small and hurt. "You have to!"

"I don't." His face was impassive.

He had tried to kill me, subjugate me, seduce me, cripple me, hurt me, trick me in so many different ways…but he had never outright_ lied _to me. I was so shattered by it I felt tears spring to my eyes. I couldn't even die to escape him. I squeezed my eyes shut before they could escape, turning away from him, huddling further into myself. "W-why, Ash? Why?"

"Evie." Ash's voice was low and cold, but there was something in it I had never heard before. "If you trigger that charm, I shall consign your soul to an eternity of torment unlike_ anything _you could imagine."

I winced, hiding my face so he couldn't see that I was openly crying now. It was over. "How is that any different from what will happen if I _don't_?" I asked softly.

Ash shifted slightly, and said something in a language I couldn't place. I felt the drop in the line that he tapped, as he cast a spell of some sort, though it had no effect that I could see. "Because," he said quietly, then paused for a long moment as if lost for words. "Because _I_ do not intend to use you as a familiar," he conceded finally, almost reluctantly. "If I remove my mark, and you are captured, you will be sold to a demon who will."

I looked back up at him, no longer caring if he saw my tears. "Then how _do_ you intend to _use_ me, Ash?" I asked bitterly.

Ash was silent. His eyes had an odd intensity about them, even shadowed by the overhead light glaring in the darkness around us.

"Take the mark off, Ash, and let me go."

"No."

The cold, insidious fear that had gripped my heart was stealing over my limbs, setting me shivering. "What do you want from me, Ash?" I shouted, the helpless anger and despair that had lived within me for thirty years bursting from me all at once. I felt myself temporarily lose control of the line and the circle around me flared with the increased power for a moment before I got it back under control.

"I want you to choose _me_," he said.

I felt the panic bubbling up through the despair, unable to conceive of why it made a hill of beans difference to him whether I was willing or not. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. I could not for the life of me figure out what he was really saying. Was he trying to tell me to trust him? "You want me to choose to go with you. Instead of dying. So…that…when I look back after an eternity of torment I'll have to remember that it was all my own choice?" My voice rose a little. "No! Forget it! If I have to face eternal torment, it'll be kicking and fighting all the way!"

Ash looked furious, and I shrieked involuntarily as his mark gave a particularly painful throb. "The point of my marking you was to deal with this exact situation, Evie!" he replied angrily. "You agreed to it! Just who is breaking their word, here?"

He was insane. "No, I never agreed to just hand myself over in _any_ situation, Ash, and you fucking know it!" I rubbed the rough skin of the mark, as if that would sooth the bursts of fire it kept searing into my heart. Damn, he was really pissed!

"Evie, drop your circle," he said, coaxing. "No more bargaining. No more games. No more deals. If you force me to use the others to break your circle, they will all own a piece of you. Surrender to me."

I stared at him, hard. "You want me to trust you. After you just broke your word?"

"I do not share my possessions," he said darkly. "And after this night, you will be someone's possession. I am giving you a choice. Come to me willingly, or…don't." He didn't have to add that he'd made it clear he would not be kind if I didn't.

"_I _could contest your claim," I said, wondering if it were true. "Tell them you broke your vow to me."

"You could," he agreed, frowning in displeasure, and the mark gave another wince-inducing throb. "If you do, and in the unlikely event that you are successful, I shall be stripped of my powers and position and given to you as a toy. Assuming Newt is in a good mood, of course, and doesn't just kill both of us for wasting her time. It wouldn't save you; you'd still be sold off. We both would."

"What?" I blinked, astonished. I'd had no idea. "Then why…Jesus, Ash, why would you tell me this? Now? After you broke your word...?"

"I used your mark to find you before the others did. That single small show of trust allows me to give you this choice." He leaned forward, face still shadowed. "Would you betray me, Evie?"

I continued to gape, thinking furiously. "You're saying…_you_…trust _me_...not to?"

"No." There was a hint of dry amusement in his voice now. "I'm not _saying_ that. Come to me," he urged again. "I will not be able to hide your location for much longer."

_He honestly thinks he's offering me the lesser of three evils, doesn't he? Good grief._ Still, his unknown motives aside, a choice of death and torment, unwilling slavery and torment, or _willing_ slavery and torment wasn't exactly an easy one to make. Surely there had to be an out I hadn't thought of. A teensy germ of an idea occurred to me. "Ash, what are the terms of your summoning tonight?"


	3. A Way Out

**In Which Evie Finds a Fourth Option**

He looked at me suspiciously, cluing in on the fact that I was plotting something. "Simple. To kill you or take you to the Ever After for myself. Nothing more."

My eyes flew open as the idea began to take shape. "Fake my death," I said.

"What?"

"They all know I have a suicide charm. They all know I'd use it before I'd get caught," I said, my mind beginning to race. He had been trying to offer me a somewhat acceptable solution to an insoluble problem, but perhaps there was another way, if he were willing. "Take me to a new city. Away from here. We'll leave the place a bloody mess. Make it look like I fought and lost."

Ash blinked and stepped back, tilting his head. "But I must fulfill the terms of my summoning, love. I have to take you to the Ever After." He sounded intrigued.

"Then take us there first, through the lines, and out again. I'll pay the cost. For both of us. Four trips." I spoke fast, a ray of hope beginning to rise in me.

"Out of the goodness of my heart? When I have you here, now, within my grasp, after over thirty years of hunting you?" Ash sounded more amused than not.

But he'd given me the answer. "Yes. Because then I won't tell anyone you would have broken your word to me. Ever. No matter the circumstances, assuming I have a choice in the matter." That was a huge concession, but I was basically saying I would not betray him. I was saying that I was choosing to trust him to keep to this new bargain, even after he'd broken a promise to me. It might not have been the willing surrender that he wanted, but it was something.

He thought about that for a long time, frowning, before I saw his face break into a grin. "Yvette Therese Sinclaire, if I may choose your destination, then we have a deal," he said lightly.

"I don't care where, as long as it's on _this_ side of the lines." _Shit. This is too easy. He's up to something. What'd I miss this time? "_And you leave me there! No immediately snatching me back!"

"Of course," he said innocently. "I shall spirit you away to a new life in a new country, in exchange for your payment of the imbalance of our journey and your silence. Though I wish to stay in reality for the rest of the evening to celebrate. Perhaps we'll go dancing."

I snorted. He'd find out quick enough that Evie Sinclaire has three left feet. "Fine. _If _you behave yourself and don't snatch or kill anyone. I'm not starting a new life in a jail cell."

"Deal. Well, then." He rubbed his hands together, all traces of seriousness gone. He was once again the mischievous trickster I'd come to appreciate, if not exactly like. And he was still far too happy about this, and I _knew_ it wasn't because he would get a night of partying on this side of the lines. My skin prickled with apprehension. "We shall have to make it look good, shan't we? Can't have anyone thinking I've gone soft on my favorite little summoner, I'd never hear the end of it. Now be a good girl and take off that charm," he said.

He meant the suicide charm in my watch. I glanced at it, then did so, albeit reluctantly. It was a false hope anyway, apparently, but it was the escape I had depended on for years and years. It was losing a part of me to finally, finally take it off.

"Destroy it," he ordered, a definite edge in his voice, and I blanched. But I was committed now, so I stepped on the watch I heard the glass and gears grind under my feet and felt the wooden charm hidden within crack in two. I could make a new one, I told myself. I had bought myself another span of days. I could make a new one.

"Now…" Ash loomed before me, and I swear I could see his eyes glowing with anticipation. "Take down your circle, Evie."

I stood on shaking legs and gulped, wiping my face free of grime and tears. Taking a deep breath, I did so before I could change my mind. The shimmer of my green-tinted circle fell. Ash closed his eyes and breathed in my scent again, the way he always did whenever I came out from behind my shield- probably because he knew how it freaked me out. Or maybe he just loved smelling someone's fear. He stepped forward, holding something silvery in his hand.

A bracelet? I looked at him questioningly. "Put it on, sweet," he said. "It seals the bargain. I won't have you changing your mind."

Why would I change my mind? Well, it was too late to back out now. Still eying him suspiciously, I slipped it over my wrist, and it tightened there suddenly. I felt something tighten over my entire soul, and realized that I could no longer sense the ley lines. Any of them. It was the demon equivalent of a fucking zip strip, the kind IS used when they arrested witches. He'd cut me off from any possible defense!

Ash grinned at me, and shook his head. "You are such a trusting little fool, Evie," he said, and I screamed as he lunged at me.


	4. There's Always a Catch

**Never, Ever Trust a Grinning Demon**

I was seriously freaking out when we coalesced in a stone room in the Ever After. I was cursing and flailing and struggling the entire way through the lines, even after I'd lost the body to do it with. I could feel his presence, smug and almost elated in his triumph at having captured me. He protected my soul from spreading out over the lines, somehow. I'd never traveled the lines before and it was a really unpleasant sensation. It became even moreso when he caressed my soul itself, intimate and unrepentant. Now I knew why he'd had me destroy the charm- I was mad enough to take us both out, and perhaps a good chunk of reality in the bargain.

Ash continued to hold me even after the journey was complete and we were corporeal again, enjoying my struggling and my fury. He took another long, deep breath of my scent, and whispered, "At last, I have you. It's been thirty years, Evie, and I finally have you."

I didn't even know I could curse like that. I'd look back later and wonder where I'd learned it.

He released me then, and I whirled on him. He'd rendered me powerless as any mere human with his little silver shackle. I was beyond furious. I was ready to kill him with my bare hands, and I was just about to try when he laughed heartily at my expression. "Told you we'd make it look good," he said.

I paused, parsing this before I tried to wrap my hands around his throat and strangle the life out of him. "What?"

He just stood there, grinning almost giddily.

My mouth fell open in understanding and I nearly slugged him. "You mean to say _that was all an_ _act_?" If anything, I was even more furious. That jerk. That complete and utter asshole!

He shrugged, looking innocent. "I have no idea if you're a good actress or not," he said reasonably. "I didn't want to find out the hard way."

"Oh, you're about to find out the hard way," I growled, advancing on him with clenched fists as he continued to laugh. I was so angry I'd forgotten everything I knew about ley line offensive charms in my sheer desire to simply beat the hell out of him. "God damn it Ash, you gave me several heart attacks back there! What you said to Al—" I shuddered.

"Oh, come now, you didn't believe all that, did you?" he said lightly. "I told you I don't share my possessions. Do you really think I'd let him have you for even a moment?"

I clenched my fists helplessly. "As far as actors go, Ash, you're one of the finest out there. If you_ ever _do that to me again—"

"You'll what?" he asked cheekily.

I took a deep breath and let it out again with a hiss of annoyance, only now looking around at the room we were in. It was huge, opulent, the vaulted ceilings at least three stories high. My fury melted away in favor of total astonishment. "Wow."

"Yes, welcome to my humble abode," he said, indicating the room.

_Humble. Right._ I continued to gape. There were objects I couldn't even fathom, crammed in with objects that one would find in any apartment on the other side. And the art, amazing, beautiful works of art that ranged from simple wooden carvings to incredibly carved ivory displays, to gorgeously lush fabrics and tapestries. There was a central open fireplace as well, which Ash had just lit with a flourish. The other lights were candles in sconces along the walls. "Wow," I said again. Too bad everything was redolent with the reek of burnt amber- that was the only down side of the otherwise amazing room.

Ash sat on a leather sofa- a regular, modern sofa that looked a little out of place in this opulence- and regarded me with an amused expression. I recalled that this amazing display of wealth was purchased with his sales of those he kidnapped, and my wonder turned to sour irritation and disgust. I wondered whether Judy or Greg had bought that nice leather couch he now sat smugly on, and frowned.

"Ash…why are we still here?" I asked suddenly, realizing he had the air of someone who was ready to relax for a bit, and had lit the fire. "Deal was, you take me…"

"You said I could choose the destination, Evie. I have a specific destination in mind- someplace nice and warm, never fear. I know how you hate the cold."

I had a sudden foreboding. Once again, the deal had been far too easy, hadn't it? That grin he'd had on his mug when we made the deal came back to me. _ Shit. _"Oh, god. What did I miss_ this_ time?"

Ash smiled again, and there were teeth in it this time. "Why, Evie, you know I can't cross the lines in daylight. I'm afraid that in Australia, the sun just rose."

I stared at him, aghast once more. "So send me back alone, then! I know you can do that!"

"What, and miss the chance to enjoy a trip to reality on someone else's dime?" he asked. "You did say you'd pay for the trips, love. _ Four _of them- you were quite specific. So why don't you make yourself comfortable? You're stuck with me here until the sun sets in…hmm," he checked his watch theatrically, "….about thirteen hours."


	5. The First Time is Always The Worst

**In Which the Price of the Journey is Paid**

I flopped down on the nearest surface, which happened to be a large polished ebony table with a few coffeebooks on it. I stared at the fire, unwilling to look at him. Oh, yeah, he'd gotten me again. This is why I hated doing my own bargaining. It was always under duress, and I just wasn't good at dealing with the stress. Yes, that was it. I'm sure I could make perfectly watertight bargains in a non-stressful situation. Ha ha ha.

I was suddenly feeling exhausted from the emotional ups and downs of the last twenty minutes. I had been certain I'd been doomed beyond redemption, and yet, here I was, still alive, soul intact.

The demon behind me was silent as well, possibly also contemplating this odd little twist of events. He'd told Algaliarept what he had been planning to do to me, and it had involved a lot of breakage and screaming on my part, but here we were, staring at a fire in a richly furnished room, and I was in one piece, unbroken and not screaming. Yet, anyway. Now I had to make small talk for the next thirteen hours. What the hell was I supposed to say?

_Flattery is always a good option, Evie. _"Thank you," I said finally.

"For what?" he inquired, and I could practically hear the raised eyebrow. I'd surprised him again- he'd just pulled a nasty little trick on me, and I was thanking him?

"For offering me a choice," I said. "Even if…even if the options weren't to my liking. At least it was a choice."

He humphed, sounding grumpy that I hadn't just gone with him in the first place. "Yes, well, don't thank me just yet. You did say you'd take the smut for the trips. I thought I would give you a chance to recover and wind down first, because you will find it a bit unpleasant."

I looked at him apprehensively. "What is it going to feel like?" I asked.

"If you resist? It will be painful beyond anything you've ever felt before," he warned.

"And if I don't?"

He shrugged. "It's a little weird, but it doesn't hurt. Not even the first time," he added, grinning crookedly. "Are you ready?"

I gazed up at the vaulted ceiling before standing up to face him. "Hell, why not? This day has been one disaster after another. Do your worst."

"I don't really think you want my _worst_, dove" he replied, before he rose in a graceful motion and approached me. I stayed where I was, and I let him turn me around after giving him a questioning look. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me against him, then pressed his other palm against his mark on my chest.

I closed my eyes as I felt a wave of chill slithering over me, wrapping tendrils around my aura. It felt like I was being wrapped in a suffocating blanket, but the blanket was squeezing my soul, sinking in and altering it. I shook a little, tensed, and Ash's arms tightened. "Don't resist it, Evie," he whispered. "Accept it."

I whimpered a little at the sensation, squeezing my eyes shut and trying hard not to fight it, and soon it began to fade, leaving me limp in his arms, my breathing ragged. But it hadn't left, it had imprinted itself, soaked itself into the fabric of my being. I felt…dirty.

"The equivalent of four trips through the lines," he said. "It's done." He did not release me, and I didn't move. It felt as if part of me had become irrevocably tarnished, and I knew that were I to cast a circle, the cheerful green of my aura would be damaged, blackened as if burnt. I was trembling, and I felt my breath escape me in a sob. Ash wasn't holding me to comfort me, but I clutched at his arms anyway, letting my head droop. Was this what it would feel like to be his familiar all the time? To accept the imbalance for every curse he invoked? To feel one's soul slipping away beneath the layers of suffocating blackness? Was this how it felt to be a demon, and not have a familiar to take the payment?

"The first time is always the worst," Ash said quietly, rubbing his cheek on my hair. "It becomes second nature all too quickly."

I didn't reply, suppressing the involuntary hitching of my breath that was trying to turn into sobs. It had felt awful. I felt tainted. He spoke as if I'd get used to it. He'd said I wouldn't be his familiar, so what else would I be doing that would involve more smut? I resolved never to offer to take payment for a damned thing ever again.

"It is the price we all pay for our continued existence," he murmured, as I lifted my head again, tilting it a little to try to see him. The room had darkened, though I couldn't tell whether it was because the fires and candles had burnt lower, or if my sight had dimmed. The fire, I decided, because the alternative was unbearable.

I sighed, pushing away the thoughts of the smut my soul now bore. I would deal with it later. After I dealt with the fact that my life had just completely fallen apart. _Again. Fucking demons..._

I stood up straighter and squared my shoulders. I was a tough little bitch, I reminded myself. I'd be fine. I'd rebuilt my life twice now. I could do it again. "You can...let go now," I said, tugging at his arms.

He didn't budge. "I _could,_" he replied.

"Ash," I said warningly, about to remind him of his promise not to...no to... "Oh_, shit._ I didn't make any conditions, did I?" I said, remembering the hasty bargain we'd made. How in the world had I forgotten that part? Well, I hadn't expected to make a thirteen hour pit stop in the Ever After, had I?_ Stupid, Evie, when will you stop being so stupid? Never, ever trust a grinning demon!_

"You did…but they apply only on the _other _side of the lines," he agreed. I could feel the stillness of him, the tension.

My breath hitched in my chest as, ever so lightly, he brushed his fingers against the mark. But it merely tingled, he wasn't activating it. Even so, I felt tension rising in my own body as well, the tension of keeping absolutely still as I realized just how much trouble I was in.

"You're _mine_," he said. "For the next thirteen hours. No restrictions. No limits. No conditions." His finger touched the charmed band around my wrist. "No magic. No escape."


	6. Ownership

**In Which Our Story Earns Its M Rating**

I should have been terrified when he said that. I should have. The torments he'd promised me over the years, the threats, the horrifying consequences of my defiance... "I-I...um..." I said in a small voice, feeling that jolt of adrenaline again spear through me. But it hadn't come from Ash's mark.

"You took my imbalance. You wear my mark. You're mine. _Say it,_" he demanded quietly, huskily, his fingers tightening against my ribcage. I shivered again, and heard his breath catch.

I felt light-headed and unreal. The outraged anger, the urge to fight him off was strong, but...so was something else. It was as if this was some sort of ancient...ritual. His words had that kind of formal emphasis and it was triggering something in me that I couldn't understand. That odd little bit of me that had driven me to the madness of a power pull, that part of me that knew to accept my mark on him by tasting his blood, it was rising in me again, driving me in a direction I would never have chosen or even dreamed of.

I squirmed a little as my conflicted mind fought with itself, and the new instincts won. "I'm yours," I whispered, much to my own surprise, and I felt him sigh with pleasure. I quivered all over, tingling, nearly painfully aware of exactly where he pressed against me. Of his warmth, his scent. Of my breaths coming quicker, deeper. Of his breaths, feathery and moist, on my neck. Of his erection, surging against my hip.

"Again," he murmured huskily against my neck, his lips brushing my skin lightly, and I lifted my head to give him more access to the soft skin there.

I knew where this was leading, and I didn't care. "I'm yours," I repeated, and it was a soft moan of surrender. My fingers tightened on his arms as he gently pressed his teeth against my neck, not biting, just hinting at it. He shifted me slightly to the side, his arm trapping me against him as he slid a hand up my throat to turn my face to his.

"Again," he whispered hoarsely, and I saw the naked desire in his eyes. His fingers twined themselves into my short hair, his thumb brushing the scar on my cheek. "Say it, Evie." His eyes held mine as inescapably as his arms, but I wasn't trying to escape, not now.

"Kaviashmedaeva," I said, and his eyes closed for a moment before fixing on mine again. "I'm yours."

His lips captured mine, possessive and hungry, and I felt my body suddenly blazing with desire. He let me turn to face him now, and as he kissed me I slid a hand under his shirt to find the five small scars I knew were hidden there. He groaned when I touched them, his entire body suddenly taut and his breath coming quicker. He pulled my hips against his, urgently, as I stroked the small raised marks my fingers had left on his chest. I wished I could send them blazing into life as I thought perhaps I could, but I was too far underground to have tapped a line even if I hadn't been wearing that damned bracelet, and the Ever After that had been spindled in my thoughts had been lost during the struggle. "You wear my mark, too" I said, uncertain where the words were coming from. "You took it willingly. You're _mine_."

He gripped my hair tighter, pulled me closer, trapped my hand where it was, making an incoherent sound of want. I felt the world tip as he bore me to the floor, onto one of the many furs that surrounded the fire. His warm, heavy weight trapped me there as his hunger made itself felt in the searing warmth of his kisses. I surrendered utterly to him, surrendering to the inevitable, gasping as he brought his mouth the the mark on my chest and breathed it into blazing fire.

I arched, crying out in ecstasy, and felt my blouse and bra ripped away. His warm, eager mouth suckled my breast, his hand caressing my side, my hip. He paused to pull off his own shirt, and I held him away for a moment to look at him, at his perfect, smooth skin marred only by the five scars that marked his chest. I stroked them again and kissed one, drawing my tongue over the slightly rougher texture of the scar, and whispered, "Say it, Ash," before biting it, hard, feeling him shudder and exhale above me. I looked up to see his head flung back, eyes closed, mouth taut and trembling. It was the same fighting-for-control look he'd worn after separating the union of our souls, debating whether to continue down that path or not.

"You don't know," he gasped. "Evie, you don't know what you're asking—"

"_Say it_, Ash," I demanded again, fingernails raking his biceps. "You are_ mine._" I bit him again, burying my nails in his shoulders, pulling him back toward me. "_My_ demon."

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he rasped, opening his eyes to meet mine again. He shivered at what he saw there. "I..." He kissed me again, hard, desperate, pushing me back to the floor and pinning me. His mouth was savage against my neck now, his legs forcing my thighs apart. His hips moved roughly against mine as he held my arms above my head, and I resisted, if only to enjoy his strength and his passion. I gasped and moaned again as the mark on my chest blazed with another surge of pure white fire, rippling through my body and leaving me molten in its wake.

"Not so easy, is it?" I gasped, wrapping a leg around his. One of his hands was immediately against my thigh, exploring, sliding under the hem of my skirt. I could feel the tingles of his magic following it, and closed my eyes again in anticipation and longing.

I'd indirectly challenged him, almost hinted he couldn't do it, couldn't say it, and he tensed, murmuring darkly into my ear, "You want a demon lover, Evie? Very well..._I'm yours_." He sent his magic spiraling into me, filling me, overflowing me, and I felt it drain away almost as quickly as the silver neutralized it. It would be utterly one-sided, this encounter, for the silver would not allow me to reciprocate. I convulsed with the exquisite sensations cascading and colliding all over my skin, gasping as he continued to explore my body with his rough hands, his mouth closing on my breast again, sucking it hard.

I entwined my hands into his hair as he dropped lower, tongue tracing my stomach and belly button as if he wanted to devour me. His lips sent his magic tingling tantalizingly close to my groin, and I moaned again in anticipation. Aching to return the favor, and to share our power as we had before, I tugged at the charmed silver bracelet, but of course it had been designed to stay put and render me powerless. "Release me," I moaned, as his mouth nipped at my inner thigh. "Take the silver off, Ash."

He loomed over me again, his eyes burning with lust. "No," he growled, pinning the wrist with the bracelet down again and smiling viciously at me. "I like you this way," he added, thrusting his hips against me again as I sighed at the tingles each of his movements left behind in its wake. He captured my lips again, his tongue darting past my lips and possessing my mouth, waves of his magic arcing from his fingers to my flesh. "_Mine._"

"Shall I plead...?" I asked playfully between kisses, my free hand twining and tightening in his amber wavy hair again. I loved his hair, so soft, and such a contrast to his strength and hard muscle.

His answer was a wordless purr that rumbled against my chest, his hand slipping under the waistband of my skirt. I took that to mean that he'd like that very much indeed. I found that I was enjoying this game. Not so much actually _being_ helpless, but playing the role of his captive. Would he stop if I asked him? I didn't want to find out. I didn't want this to stop. I wanted him, had wanted him since he branded me with his mark years ago.

"Release me," I begged, struggling to free my wrist, even as he tugged off my skirt, ripping it in his haste. I hadn't noticed when his own pants had gone missing, but there was only a thin layer of cotton separating us now, and my heart began to race even faster with anticipation. I reached down to touch him, but he captured my hand and pinned it roughly above my head again. "Please, Ash, let me-"

"No," he purred, luxuriating in the feel of skin against skin, nuzzling my neck before biting it again, hard, and I cried out as even the pain of it turned to pleasure. I felt the heavy weight of his hardness pressed against my thigh, teasing me, taunting me. "Again," he murmured, his voice hitching, his eyes closed, and I felt surrounded by his magic, as if it were poised to strike.

"Ash, _please,_" I pleaded, my voice shaking with my hunger, and I felt the magic invading me, creeping in from all around, encircling me like a thousand feathery fingers, stroking and teasing and tingling all over with erotic flames. I writhed beneath him, pressed my thighs together to deny him access as he tore the last barrier away. I was desperate to touch him, to reach out and respond with my paltry witchy magic, even if it would be only a drop in the raging torrent of his own.

With a sharp forceful thrust, he forced my legs apart and entered me, and I screamed against his lips at the suddenness of it. A groan of pure animal pleasure burst from his throat as he began to build momentum, pinning me, taking me, claiming me, reveling in my cries of helpless bliss. He was not gentle, but neither of us wanted gentleness. I kept up the pretense of resisting, loving his strength and his passion. I struggled to free my arms, twisted my hips, tried to keep him out with my thighs, though I couldn't make my voice sound like anything other than gasping pants and cries of pleasure. He rose to my challenge with more vigor, wild and untamed, his own grunts of bliss hot and moist in my ear.

"Surrender," he whispered. "Surrender to me, Evie." And I did, I surrendered completely to him, lifting my hips to meet his urgent thrusts. I wrapped my legs about him, let my cries become louder, more pleading. I begged him not to stop, I begged him to take the silver off, all the time feeling the tension in my loins rising and the wild, fiery demon magic spilling through me.

When my orgasm came, it was loud, fierce, and earthshattering. He continued a few more thrusts before he, too, cried out and shuddered, pulsing hot and wet inside me. I felt my witch body reacting instinctively and involuntarily to hold him there inside me as he collapsed on me, panting. I stroked his damp hair, ran a hand down the smooth skin of his back and buttocks, feeling unreal, light-headed, and amazingly…content.


	7. Afterwards

**In Which Ash Exhibits Remarkably Poor Judgment in Post-Coital Conversation Topics**

We spent several minutes in silence, wrapped in each other as our pulses began to slow. Ash tried to shift his weight off of me, but I made a small growl of protest. I liked him there, pressing down on me and wrapping me in warmth. He sighed instead, his head falling against my shoulder, lips nuzzling my neck. After another long pause, he tried to withdraw, but we found I was still too tightly clasping him for him to do so without hurting me. Ah, the joys of being a witch.

"Evie?" he said softly, giving a little tug.

"Mmm. Sorry, I don't know how long it will take. It's the first time I've..." I shut up, not wanting to have admitted that to him of all people.

Ash lifted his head and stared at me in surprise. "Seriously? But you've been with men before, I can tell."

I didn't even want to know how he knew that. "Yeah. Are you kidding? After you told me...well, it was one of the first things I corrected once I could walk again."

Ash grunted appreciatively. He loved hearing of all the myriad ways his actions had shaped my life, for better or worse. "But you did not enjoy yourself," he purred happily, kissing my neck again.

"How do _you_ know?" I snapped. "It was _fine!_"

"Fine. _Fine? _ I am the first to make you scream, I can tell," he said again, smugly, giving another little tug. I tried not to wince, cursing my treacherous witchy bits that were giving me away. Ash was practically melting on me, he was so pleased. "And now you will think of _me_, every time you make love to another. You will yearn for my touch, burn for my magic..." I could tell how much he liked that idea, as he stirred inside me. I caught my breath at the sensation, and I felt his answering surge again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, gloat all you want," I said dryly. Drat him, he was absolutely right. How could any human or witch top that? Perhaps I should consider dating vampires. Nah. "Now will you take this damned bracelet off of me?"

"I cannot _imagine _why I would want to do that, Evie," he said, his tongue darting out to lick a slow line up my neck, and I shivered. "Not when your desperate pleas are such music to my ears. It was almost worth all the waiting, all the trouble you've caused me, just to hear you begging me for it." He was fully aroused again, and my muscles had released enough for him to begin to move again, sliding teasingly slowly. I was impressed at the speed of his recovery. The joys of being a demon?

"I have a sneaking suspicion that there's an ulterior motive here, Ash," I said.

"Hmm, such a suspicious nature you have," he said innocently. He increased his pace a little, and I tried hard to ignore the wonderful sensations it created. "One might think you didn't trust me, Evie."

"Should I?" I asked equally innocently. "You don't trust _me_, after all."

"I don't need to trust you, as long as you're wearing that bracelet," he said, as if that explained everything.

"I feel a pout coming on," I said, glaring at him. "Are you at least going to let me up?"

"Why?" he purred into my ear. I nearly melted as he reached down to massage my clitoris with a gentle finger.

"Because..._aah!_" My cool exterior cracked a little, much to his amusement. "Because I want a turn, damnit!"

Ash chuckled. "It's been such a long time since I've taken a willing witch, I've almost forgotten-"

He froze, glanced at me quickly with an _Oh shit_ expression.


	8. Soulstealing

**In Which Evie Freaks Out. Again. **

I stared at him, aghast. Reality sunk in again. _Ash. Demon. Evie, you utter, utter idiot!_

"Evie," he said, but I had tensed and clutched his arms tightly.

"Ash," I said, my heart suddenly shriveling into a little wudge. Oh god. We stared at each other with wide eyes. Oh, god, what was I doing? What was I thinking? This was the demon who had kidnapped my friends, who traded in flesh, who trained familiars- no, slaves!- and he was _inside _me... "Get off. Get off! Get off me!" My heart clenched as I pushed and struggled to get as far away as I could.

He let me up without resistance, an unreadable expression on his face as I darted to the sofa and grabbed the soft purple throw draped over it, covering my nakedness with shaking hands. I felt the horror growing in my chest, and realized I was about to have a panic attack, the first in months.

Ash rose, magnificent and unembarrassed in his nudity. He didn't speak, just watched me with a closed expression on his perfect, impassive face. He watched silently as I fell to my knees and panted, trying to stave it off. That damned bracelet kept me from even the simplest ley line calming charm, not that there was a line to tap. After a few long, painful minutes I got it under control, panting with the effort of not flying apart in terror. Feeling more vulnerable than I ever had in my life, I looked back at him to see that he hadn't moved.

"You knew what I am," he said quietly, crossing his arms. I had a sudden memory of Rachel in her kitchen, as Algaliarept reminded her of how he made his living. I wondered if the two of them had as complicated a relationship as Ash and I. I wondered if she had ever given herself to Al, and if she had, how she lived with herself. How was I going to live with myself? "You gave yourself to me, Evie. If you are going to accuse me of enchanting you or raping you, I swear by the two worlds colliding that I will-"

"Judy," I said, my voice choking. "Did you rape her?"

"Yes," he answered, without hesitation, without remorse. I stared at him in utter horror, unable to form the next sentence. He knew what I wanted to know, though. "It's effective," he continued. "I raped them all, Evie. Mind, body, soul. I broke them. I tortured them. I crushed their wills. I ripped their souls from them. I sold them to demons crueler than I. They serve as familiars, their souls blackened beyond redemption, until the line energy they are forced to hold drives them finally to insanity, and they are discarded and unmourned. Is that what you wished to hear?"

I collapsed, shivering. "And...and you would have..."

"Yes," he said again, and his voice was low and dangerous. This was the Ash that had tortured Greg before me, who had forced so much line energy through me that I suffered brain damage and had to teach myself how to walk again, how to speak. The Ash that had burnt his own hands to break my circle, who would have succeeded in his deadly purpose had it not been for the lucky accident of the sunrise. "I would have done the same to you, Evie. _Then_."

And I was in his domain, powerless, with absolutely nothing to keep him from finishing the job he started over thirty years ago. Oh, something might be flung back into reality when the sun went down, but it wouldn't be me.

"This is what I am, Yvette Therese Sinclaire." He began to approach, one inevitable step after another. "You claimed me, and marked me. Do you renounce me now?"

I couldn't answer, could do nothing but watch as he reached down to grasp my arm, jerking me up and against him. "_Do you?_" he asked, and I could feel the tension in his trembling grasp, though his face revealed nothing.

"Ash-" I gasped as he tore the blanket away from me. "Don't!"

He shoved me hard, and I stumbled backwards until I hit the wall. Something to my right was dislodged from a tall table, and shattered. He followed, and pinned me there as I fought him. He had a hand at my throat, but the most frightening thing was the absolutely expressionless look on his face. It betrayed nothing of his feelings, nothing at all. "Say you do, Yvette Therese Sinclaire. Renounce your claim," he hissed, his eyes burning into mine. "It will be effortless to break you. You have given so much of yourself to me already."

"No!" I cried, struggling helplessly.

"Did you trust me, Evie? Did you think yourself safe? I have no mercy, Evie. I can crush you, and I would do so without remorse." His hand drew roughly down my side, a gesture was suddenly too awful and intimate. "I can slip inside your mind and take hold of your will. I could make you do_ anything_ I wanted. I could make you love me, Evie, love me so blindly that you would die for me. I could rape you, body and soul, and you would _beg m_e for it. As Judy did."

"Stop it!" I shouted desperately. I didn't want to hear this, but Ash wasn't going to let me forget his dark side again. I'd done it again, I'd seen it and rejected it, and he was all the more furious with us both.

"I would take pleasure in your pain," he whispered viciously in my ear, and I felt the mark on my chest blaze with sudden fire- not the good kind, either. I couldn't stop the stifled scream before it escaped my lips. I jerked and tensed until it passed, focusing on the one small detail of what he was saying that made the most difference to me. _Would._ Not _will. Then. _He met my eyes again, so close that his cold alien eyes were all I could see. I felt the weight of his ancient aura pressing against me now as well. It was cold, suffocating, like the blackness I just had endured- multiplied by millenia of curses. _"_You cannot imagine what I could do to you. There is absolutely nothing you could do to stop me."

_Could. Would. _He was doing his best to scare the daylights out of me, trying to disgust the hell out of me, and it was working. I cried out in shock as he roughly entered me with his fingers, his other hand still pressed around my throat, and his eyes crinkled as he smiled. But I noticed another small detail- he was no longer aroused. He was not taking pleasure in this, at least not that kind, no matter what he wanted me to think.

"Stop it!" I ordered again, my voice stronger. "You've m-made your point, damnit!"

"Have I?" he asked, and his fingers stabbed viciously inside me again. I flinched as he brought them to my face, glistening with our mingled essences, turning my face away. "You gave yourself to me willingly, Yvette Therese Sinclaire. You demanded I do the same. I am tired of your games, witch!"

"_You're _tired of games?" I burst out, furious. "Well, I am tired of being your goddamn plaything, _Kaviaeshmedaeva_!" I used his name as he was using mine, as a weapon.

His eyes widened at the insult, and narrowed with renewed fury. "Plaything?" he growled, and now I was having trouble breathing. "After what you...what we..." I'd done it now, he was so angry he was lost for words. "And what game are you playing with me now?" he demanded suddenly. "Fine, you wish to play demon and summoner again, witch? I'll show you how that game ends!"

"I'm not..." I clutched at his fingers around my throat. "God, no!"

"Do you know what it feels like to lose your soul, Yvette Therese Sinclaire?" he asked darkly, and his hand once again hovered over my mark. "Let me show you."

It happened so quickly. One instant he was forcing an insane amount of line energy straight into the core of my being, enough that for an instant I felt my soul recoil and loose itself from the moorings of my flesh...and the next my hand had come up involuntarily and sent every last volt of it straight back into him right through the mark on his chest. He screamed and reeled away, stumbling and knocking over a cabinet, and I collapsed to my knees clutching my burnt fingers to my chest, sobbing with the shock. The air was filled with the heavy reek of burnt amber, and worst of all...it was coming from me.


	9. A Suspicious Proposal

**In Which Ash Proposes a Relationship**

My fingers were blackened and blistered, and the bracelet had burnt a furious welt around my wrist, and the pain...the pain was unbelievable, and not entirely physical.

Ash groaned and struggled to his knees, bleeding from a wound in his shoulder. He didn't look so hot, either. He healed his wound, but he still looked as queasy and shaken as I felt.

"What did you do that for?" I sobbed, wondering how long this would take to heal. "I tell you, I have no idea why I have done a single goddamned thing since I got here, including whatever _that _was. You didn't have to go postal on me, Ash! How would you feel if you'd found yourself eagerly fucking someone you shouldn't even _like_, without even knowing_ why_?"

Ash coughed at the repellant reek of burnt amber- or maybe it was just burnt _us_- that had permeated the room. "I imagine that I would be feeling a little like I am now," he said gruffly, making no move to approach me again. Instead, he sat again, as if too unsteady to walk.

"Yeah, well, _I_ didn't rape your friends," I said furiously,

"No," he agreed angrily. "I suppose I should be a little more sympathetic. At least, I might be if I knew _why_ you happily screwed me, then fucked with my head, then tried to kill me," he spat.

"Gee, Ash, sounds like you've been dealing in demons." I replied with equal scathing fury in my voice. "Fun, isn't it?"

But Ash was silent, deep in contemplation. I wasn't in the mood for more verbal sparring, so I just sat there and tried to focus on just living through the horrible pain in my hand, which was creeping up my arm now. I couldn't help the sobs, or ignore the shuddering sick feeling that was creeping over me. Cold, so fucking cold, and now I was queasy with it. I shuddered as I realized it was imbalance, smut, and I was fighting it off. I winced and thought, _all right, I accept it_, and a large portion of the inner soul-deep sick feeling began to die away. Gee, more smut on top of what I'd taken not fifteen minutes before? Just another way to make this day complete. _Thanks a hell of a lot, Ash._

Ash was still silent, staring at me with cold calculation. I cradled my wounded arm and stared back warily. "Look, if you're going to punish me for that, just do it, would you? The suspense is killing me."

"Don't tempt me," he growled.

Well, that sounded better than, "Okay." I reached out to snag the blanket, pulling it back around me. Shit, how much longer before he'd let me go? Another twelve hours? I wasn't going to make it, not if this was what had happened in the first twenty fucking minutes.

"Do you even have _any idea _what you just did?" he asked finally.

"Not a fucking clue, Ash," I replied, wishing I'd had a chance grab my purse before being spirited away. Though I didn't think one pain charm would do it. "Though I can safely say that having my soul sucked out is officially off of my bucket list." I was trying for my usual snarkiness, but god damn it was difficult not to just give in and beg him for pain relief. And to please, please, _please _not do that again.

"Hmm." He rose to his feet, leaning on the broken cabinet, then looked down at the damage we'd both caused. He looked really displeased, but as it was his own damned fault he didn't comment. I noticed he was absentmindedly rubbing my marks as if they still hurt. I hoped they did, the jerk. He straightened suddenly and regained his usual demeanor. _Damn, I really wish he'd put some clothes on_. "Get off the floor, Evie, you look pathetic."

I grabbed a figurine from the floor and chucked it at him with my good hand, still full of righteous anger. "I'll show you pathetic, you asshole!"

He didn't have to dodge; my aim was too poor. It shattered against the stones of the fireplace. "Break any more of my things and I'll take it out of your hide," he warned. I wasn't certain, but I thought I caught just the merest hint of amusement in his voice that I was still as feisty as ever. His eyes landed on my blackened fingers and he frowned. "We really need to have a _chat_, Evie. Come. Sit. I won't touch you."

I continued to glare, though the effect was ruined by the tears of pain that I couldn't control. I wasn't certain I could walk at the moment anyway.

"For the love of little burning bunnies, Evie, get your ass on this couch or I won't fix your hand," he said, exasperated.

_Aha, incentive!_ I did try, but my body didn't work very well. That soul thing he'd done...it was as if I'd snapped back into place, but not everything had reconnected properly just yet. "I can't," I admitted.

He made another noise, and there was a more definite hint of amusement now. "Of course you can't," he said, and gallantly lifted me as if I weighed nothing, blanket and all. He deposited me on the couch again, and I curled in a little ball of hurt around my injured hand. I whimpered when he tried to pry it free. "Come, now, Evie, if I were still pissed off I'd just let you suffer. But I'll heal you right back up, if you answer me one question."

I was hardly in a position to argue. "Deal." I could have kissed him when he fixed he damage, I was so utterly relieved. Instead I just sat there miserably, wondering what else I could possibly do to make this situation worse. I'd given him a smackdown and he wasn't furious about it?

"What gives, Ash? You're being way too nice all of a sudden," I commented. "Not that I'm complaining, but..."

"I'm not being nice," he insisted, scowling. "I'm debating my next move. My question is this: how did you survive the Rosewood syndrome?"

I blinked at him, nonplussed. "I...didn't? I mean, I never had it."

"You did, the enzymes are in your blood, and yet you are perfectly healthy."

"Physically, anyway," I amended under my breath. Louder, I said, "I never had it, Ash, I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Ash sat back and pondered this. "Your siblings?"

"Don't have any."

"Your parents?"

"Nope. I mean, Mom was real sick all her life, but it wasn't Rosewood, it was something wrong with her immune system. She died when I was born, of an infection she got in the hospital."

Ash's eyes widened. "You don't say. Extraordinary." He really meant it, too.

"Are you going to tell me why the poor dead mother I never knew was extraordinary?" I asked sourly, knowing the answer.

"No."

"Figures." I slumped back, watching him suspiciously. "Would you put some fucking clothes on, Ash?"

He looked down, as if he'd forgotten he hadn't been wearing a stitch of clothing for the last twenty minutes or so. He suddenly smiled, his trademark smirk, and I felt a little better seeing it- even though I knew it meant nothing good. "I don't understand your request, Evie...these_ are_ my fucking clothes."

I threw a pillow at him.

"Evie, darling, we have a temporary truce here...you don't want to break it," he warned with a dangerous smile. "I have no wish to repeat that little exchange."

"Which one?"

His eyes glittered with amusement. "Dangerous waters, Evie. Quit while you're ahead." He had not, I noticed, complied with my request, and now that the terror had died down again, I was back to, well, noticing him. _Vain son of a bitch._

And God help me, my groin gave another little lurch of renewed interest. Treacherous fucking body! I did appreciate the warning, though, and wrenched my thoughts back to where they should be. Escape.

"How long until sunrise?"

"So eager to leave, love? Twelve hours, give or take."

"And where exactly are you going to drop me off?"

"That depends on how the next twelve hours go," he said with amusement.

I had a horrified thought. "God, Ash, you're not going to just dump me out in the middle of the Outback with nothing but a blanket, are you?"

Ash's eyes widened appreciatively. "Who ever said you could keep my blanket?"

I hit my head with the palm of my hand, cursing.

"Up for a little more bargaining, love?"

"No," I growled.

He snickered. "I hope you brought your sunscreen, then."

He couldn't be serious, could he? _Oh, he could._ "All right, Ash, what do you want in exchange for leaving me in an _inhabited_ area with some _appropriate_ clothing, since _someone _ripped mine all to shreds? And by 'inhabited' I mean by actual _people,_ not animals or more demons," I added quickly.

"Better," he said, hopefully referring to my bargaining skills. "Since I effectively have you at my mercy, I would like to come to a...new arrangement."

I bit my lip, waiting for the ax to fall.

"I want you to be my student," he said.

My jaw dropped. "Say what?"

"Algaliarept has a witch for a student, and I suddenly find myself craving a witch of my own to torment. I mean, to _lovingly educate_ like the child I never had. You'll do."


	10. A New Bargain

**In Which Evie Bargains For Her Duds and Her Dignity**

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

The college professor in me was utterly appalled, and spoke its mind before I even thought about it. "You can't be my mentor, we've already...you know."

"And what has _that _got to do with anything...?" he asked, truly puzzled.

_Well, we might do it again,_ I thought. _And again. Lots of agains. Oh god. _ "It's just not right," I managed, flushing.

Ash rolled his eyes. "I am _trying _to be flattering, here. You have potential. I want to teach you."

"...and what do _you_ get out of it?" I asked suspiciously.

He just flashed me a dazzling, enigmatic smile. Shit.

"Once a week, like Rachel's set it up with Al?" I asked, testing the idea in my head.

"That will buy you...the inhabited area," he said. "And the blanket."

"How generous of you. Two days?"

He considered. "Lingerie."

"Ash!" But he had me over a barrel, and he knew it. Still, two days a week wasn't all that bad, even if it meant I showed up back in reality on a Sidney subway in my skivvies. If Rachel could do one day, I could do two. She hadn't seemed horribly upset or damaged by the arrangement, after all. Obviously Al wasn't spending the time torturing her- from what I could tell from her brief story, he actually took his post seriously.

"Four days, and I will throw in your clothes as well as a permanent alteration of your appearance," he offered.

"What...exactly...does being your student entail?" I asked suspiciously. "What are you going to be teaching me?"

"How to twist curses. Our culture. Perhaps a bit of our history."

"So in other words," I said, thinking hard about it, "You train me like a familiar, show me off to your buddies, and brainwash me with demon propaganda?"

"Don't forget the parties," he said, "They can be a real hoot. Four days with me, three in reality for your sun and exercise. And shopping runs, it's such a pain to get decent coffee and sweets this side of the lines."

Yes, heaven forbid he lost his pipeline to the cookies and cupcakes. I rolled my eyes. "Ash, how the hell am I supposed to make a living on three days a week?"

"You make a good point. Better make it five, and you can have weekends off."

"Two days here, five days off!" I countered. "I need a job! I can't just hang out in an alley somewhere every weekend!"

"Quite right. Perhaps you should simply stay here."

"I'm serious, Ash! I'll consider this student thing, but you have to be more straight with me."

Ash looked at me intently, suddenly very serious. "Then promise to stay here with me as my student indefinitely, and I will tell you _anything_ you want to know."

My mouth went seriously dry at that. "No. No, Ash, you just tried to suck out my fucking soul, and now you're asking me to move in with you? No!"

"I would have given it back," he insisted. "Maybe. After I calmed down. I swear, I have never met a witch who can infuriate me half as much as you can."

"You're not exactly helping your case, here, Ash...how do I know you won't end up doing all that shit you did to my friends to _me _if I piss you off again?"

Ash gave me a look I couldn't interpret, sort of uncomfortable and pained. He looked away as if he really didn't want to admit something embarrassing. "I won't. I promise."

"And that's another thing, Ash, I am not going to sit here and watch you catch and screw other kids. I get it, it's your job, but there's no fucking way I could just sit by and watch!"

He looked at the ceiling. He could hardly argue that I had a pretty good point. "If it will help you deal with it, I will send you to reality whenever I-"

"No, Ash! I'm back to thinking one day a week is plenty. I wouldn't want to have to cut into your _busy schedule_ of soul-stealing and torturing teenagers, after all."

He bumped his head on the couch, lips pressed tight. He looked at me, looked back at the ceiling. He seemed to come to a decision and looked at me again, expression pained. "Evie, look. I didn't...I don't actually do all those things I told you I did." He looked embarrassed by the admission. "I don't usually need to," he added. "The shock of the initial betrayal is usually sufficient. A vicious response to any subsequent show of defiance is enough to convince them of the seriousness of their plight. Once they lose their soul, they lose their free will, and there's generally no need for further punishment. Young people are more malleable, more easily cowed by threats. And when you throw in more pleasant incentives for good behavior...?" He trailed off, awaiting my reaction.

I stared at him in disbelief, partly at the simple logic of it, and partly because it resembled the way I intimidated my own students. OK, not the betrayal and soul-stealing part of it, but...no, you lay the smackdown on the first few who try to give you trouble, and word gets around, and work gets done. "It's still slavery, Ash."

"It is. And some demons are much harsher on their familiars than others. And it is true that all familiars lose their usefulness over time. But it is not constant, eternal torment. Most of us have some fondness for our familiars. Even that bastard Algaliarept had an elf that he kept for over a thousand years before he tried to trade up with Rachel Mariana Morgan. That's an unprecedented lifespan for a familiar- _and _she's still alive, and she occasionally still stirs his curses for him even on the other side of the lines."

My opinion of Al went up a miniscule notch. "Who...who is _your_ familiar, Ash?" I asked suddenly. I knew he had one. All of them had one.

Ash was silent for a moment, and a woman appeared from nowhere.


	11. Angels and Demons

**In Which Evie Meets Ash's Angel**

I blinked in surprise. She looked young, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, and she had beautiful honey-colored hair that fell in soft curls around an otherwise ordinary face. She was clad in a simple, sleeveless purple dress trimmed in white. He'd just summoned her, I realized, and I stared at her in fascination.

She didn't have even the slightest reaction to his nudity, as if showing up in his...whatever room this was, his art gallery? Rec room?...to find him nude and entertaining a naked woman in a blanket was an entirely commonplace thing for her. She looked at Ash questioningly, ignoring me entirely. Waiting for his orders. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Solange, this is Evie. My new student."

"Hey! I haven't agreed to anything!" I protested. Solange turned her blank brown eyes toward me, the faraway expression on her face suddenly turning apprehensive. She looked back at Ash quickly, and he made a placating gesture.

"Relax, Angel, I'm not replacing you yet. Evie simply wanted to meet you."

I hadn't, not really. "Um. Nice to meet you." Solange simply inclined her head a little in acknowledgment. There was no trace of emotion there now, not even pity at meeting Ash's latest victim.

"Be a dear and mend her clothing. I'm afraid I was a bit hasty in my eagerness."

I wanted to die of embarrassment, but Solange simply picked up the ripped blouse and skirt and vanished with them.

"She, um, doesn't talk much, does she?" I said lamely, in the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"No, she doesn't speak before strangers, not without permission."

I really wanted to throw up, and decided if I did, I would aim for his expensive couch. "Why the hell did you...Jesus, Ash, this is seriously fucked up!"

"Did she look abused, tormented, tortured?" he asked.

"No, Ash, she looked fucking _dead!_" I shot back. "How long have you been keeping that poor girl here?"

Ash did a mental calculation. "A hundred and eighty years, give or take," he replied.

"Take me home, Ash!" I ordered, unable to sit still any longer. This was unbearable! "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth! God, how you can just sit there and pretend this isn't the vilest, cruelest thing you could do to somebody is just..."

"I'm not pretending it isn't," he said quietly. "I simply refuse to allow you any more illusions about who and what I am. And I will not let you leave before the appointed time, so sit down and stop shouting at me."

I did as he asked, silently fuming and absolutely furious at myself, him, and the entire fucking Ever After. I wanted to hit him, badly. I wanted him to put some stupid clothes on so I wouldn't have to deal with the unreasonable attraction I still felt.

"Poor Evie," he said mockingly. "So confused, so conflicted."

"So homicidal," I added.

He laughed. "That's my girl. Do we have a deal?"

"One day a week?" I muttered, hating him, but remembering that the alternative was naked abandonment, and not the good kind either. _Stop that, Evie._

"Five."

"_One,_ Ash," I insisted, determined to see just how much he really wanted this. There was something up, I just knew it, and I would be damned if I let him get away with anything else. "Two, if you do the appearance alteration thingie you mentioned."

"Three," he countered, and I crowed inwardly, even if I also felt queasier. Something was really, really, seriously up. He wanted this very badly indeed. This couldn't be good for me.

"_Two._ And you tell me why you want a student."

"You'll find out soon enough part of the reason, but the rest...? Not a chance in hell," he said with a wicked grin.

_Shit._ "OK, then...tell me what you did to my friends, for real this time." There. I'd finally voiced the bargain I had been aching to make since I was sixteen.

Ash's eyes blazed in triumph- he had me. "Give me three days a week, and I will let you speak to them."

My eyes widened in shock. "For how long?"

"As long as you wish, provided they do not have other duties to perform."

"_Damn it!_" I yelled. I punched the pillow, wishing it was his condescending smirk instead. "All right. Three days. I really can't bargain for shit, can I?"


	12. Visiting the Registrar

**In Which Ash Finally Gets Dressed, Much To Evie's Relief (and Our Disappointment)**

"No," he agreed. "You were doing well until you told me what you really wanted. But there will be no wheeling and dealing with others until I teach you to do it properly." He clapped his hands and then rubbed them gleefully, fully himself again. A shimmer of Ever After flowed over him, and he was dressed again- in the black doctoral-like robes he'd worn before, that horrible night. Hexagon beanie and all (though now I knew it was called a tam, I still thought of it as a beanie). No glasses this time, though. The professor in me who'd clawed her way through a PhD for seven years to earn her robes bristled- he had no right to wear those, and he had no right to look so hot while wearing them! "Come, love, we must get you dressed! So many things to do before you leave!"

Already he was shifting into a new role, and I wondered again just what I had gotten myself into.

Solange hadn't reappeared with my clothing, so I was given robes, too. Mine were velvety purple, and far more flatteringly cut than the shapeless black gown that still hung in my abandoned closet in reality. I got a tam too. Given how often I'd dressed up for college functions, I wasn't as uncomfortable as I might have been. Granted, I'd never worn them with absolutely nothing underneath. I hated to admit it, but it was sort of titillating for a grumpy old prof to be naked under her robes. I tried to push that thought aside, but it kept coming up as the soft fabric swirled around, caressing me with every movement.

"First things first," Ash said as I looked at him with trepidation. "We must make your new status known so there are no embarrassing incidents with your former colleagues."

"You mean Al and the others?"

"I can't wait to tell Al I bargained _my _witch up to three days instead of one," he said gleefully. "Come, _student!_"

I winced. The college professor in me bristled again. _ I_ was supposed to be the tyrant, damn it! I hadn't been the s_tudent _for a very long time. I rolled my eyes and stepped to his side, feeling resigned. Time to just sit back and enjoy the ride, I supposed. I was about to see way more of the Ever After than I had ever dreamed I would.

First we went to chat with a demon whose full name was nearly unpronounceable, but Ash called him "Dali." He was the first demon I'd seen yet who did not have the appearance of a twenty- or thirty- year old. Instead he looked like a successful, wealthy businessman in his fifties, attractive in a confident, ruthless sort of way. His opulent office looked stolen from a Fortune 500 CEO. Maybe it had been, for all I knew.

Ashe explained in a guarded tone that he had found a worthy pupil of his own, and that he was demanding full custody and responsibility. Dali eyed me with surprise and suspicion, though he was careful not to give anything away to me. The two of them stepped away to discuss something in quiet tones. From the rhythms of their conversation, I could tell that there was some bargaining going on. Much as I tried to overhear, I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I glanced around at the office, bored. There were no pictures, I thought. Nothing indicating any kind of personal life- no yacht, no wife and kids, no grinning trophy girl hanging on his arm. Not even a coffee mug that said, "World's greatest demon" on it. The art that was there looked expensive, and depicted decorously draped nude women. _Heh. Real classy, Dali._

"Very well, you won't have any interference from the courts to deal with. Newt will be furious," I heard Dali say, as the two of them apparently finished their conversation.

"If she finds out," Ash said.

"Oh, she'll find out. If nothing else, Al will tell her to get her off _his _student's back. Are you prepared to deal with her interference?"

"I am," he said, though I could hear the slight hesitation in his voice.

Dali smiled cruelly. "I hope so, for your sake and your student's sanity. This should be interesting. Please do keep in mind that Newt is still in need of a new familiar herself."

Ash suddenly looked sick. "She has no claim on either of us," he said quickly. "I have broken no laws in taking this witch as a student." His hand clasped my upper arm tightly, possessively. I realized that if I were going to betray him, now was the time. Dali had something to do with the courts. _Here_ was the guy to tell about Ash's broken promise.

I didn't. I don't break _my_ promises._ Sit on that and spin, Ash._

Dali looked at me again. "Yes, I have every confidence that you are the same decent, law abiding citizen you've always been," he said, amused sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "Is she the one...?"

"Yes," Ash said quickly.

_Dali...Dali..._.the name had suddenly struck a bell in my head. "She's the witch he was going to sell you thirty years back, before she knocked him ass over teakettle and got away," I said smugly.

Ash gripped my arm tighter and frowned in displeasure as Dali laughed heartily. "Come along, _student,_" he growled, and we were off again.


	13. Shopping

**In Which Al is Told Off and Evie is Informed.**

The next stop, and I'm not kidding, was the mall. For school supplies, he said. Now _that_ was a surreal experience. I felt like Harry Potter on his first trip to Diagon Alley, staring around like the total fucking tourist I was as Ash put a pile of seemingly random odds and ends on his tab. He apparently had really good credit. I wondered how expensive this was for him, and decided again that he was really, really up to no good if he were willing to go to all this trouble over me.

I learned two more things, too: demons love eighties elevator music, and the coffee in the Ever After is undrinkable swill. So is the food, although that could just be a property of mall food everywhere.

I learned three things, actually, though it didn't occur to me until we had moved on to the realtor. Ash haggled for a training space next, insisting that he had no suitable places in which to teach me. I had a feeling it was because he really didn't want me wandering around prying into his private life. He wrote out an IOU for two witch familiars in exchange, despite my protests. "You don't get to decide, student," he chided, and I wondered if he was still pissy about my words in Dali's office. I gazed at the realtor, yet another attractive twenty-something demon in a business suit, and put my finger on it.

Every demon I'd seen here was male. Familiars, elves and humans and witches alike, came in all shapes and sizes and genders, but every single demon I saw was a man. It was creepy. Where were the women? Maybe they just liked looking like men? But I didn't think so- the juvenile art scattered around the place was nearly universally pornographic, as one would expect in a boys-only club or a frat house. There was the occasional demon wandering around in drag, but even then he (she?) was clearly male in face and body.

"Ash...where's the demon women?" I asked finally, unable to hide my curiosity. "Do they stay home and keep house, or what?"

I couldn't understand why Ash thought that was such a hysterical thing to say, but he laughed and laughed until he practically had tears in his eyes. He never answered me, but at least I gathered that demon women weren't known for quietly staying at home, and it somehow made me feel a little better about the Playboy mansion-esque nature of the Ever After I'd seen. Maybe it was just a really segregated society? And I was getting the tour of the Hugh Hefner side? They did have women, I knew- they had Newt, after all.

"Ash, are you ever going to take this bracelet off of me?" was my next question.

"Evie, quit whining about the bracelet. All in good time."

I huffed in exasperation. I was starting to get tired, bone tired, as it approached the wee hours of the morning back home. Ash wasn't a bit tired- he was positively bouncing along like a happy puppy. I even caught him humming at one point. At least he was in a good mood again, I thought. It boded well for not having a repeat of the whole soul-stealing incident, at least not tonight. I had no doubt I could get him riled up like that again, and vowed again to at least _try_ to behave myself while I was over on this side of the lines. Good God, I'd be spending three days a week here in his company. What had I possibly done to deserve this?

We reappeared back in what I'd decided to call his trophy room. It had to have been hours later. "One thing left to do," he said, and he pulled out his calling mirror. He proceeded to phone all the demons I knew and some that I didn't, letting them know that if they touched one hair on my head he would bring the wrath of Newt down on them. And by the way, how were things going? Oh, yes, very well, thank you, I hear you caught a nest of black witches last week, how very clever of you, are you attending that party next week, etc.

I tried to stifle my laughter the background as he continued his one-sided conversations, because it was both horrible and hysterically funny at the same time, and I was getting slap-happy from stress and lack of sleep.

He saved Al for last. Al invited himself over to see this for himself. He'd witnessed Ash gleefully capture me just before he got there, had heard Ash's plans, and I could only assume that he wanted to see the results. He looked a little surprised that I wasn't a bleeding, smoldering wreck at this point. I wiggled my fingers at him ruefully in greeting. "Yo Al, whassup?"

"Hmm, you still have your soul, love?" he commented, peering at me from over his smoked glasses.

"Yeah," I admitted sheepishly. Al sniffed the air and grinned. The damage we'd left hadn't escaped his notice, either. "Don't fucking say a word," I added, blushing furiously.

Al turned to Ash, still grinning wickedly. "Are you selling her? I want to get my bid in quickly. There's quite a few of us who want a piece of_ this_ one," he said. "May I have a taste?"

_Ew._ I shuddered and couldn't help my grimace. No, Al had never forgiven me for the whole Colorado incident, had he?

"I'm afraid not. I got her first. And you're too fucking broke to afford her anyway. I've made her my student."

Al's jaw dropped. He recovered quickly, and swore in angry frustration. "When did you realize she-"

"When I marked her, you idiot. Did you really think I'm _that _stupid?" Ash was in his element, now, and was going to make the most of it.

"And you didn't snatch her then and there?" Al couldn't believe it.

"Tried to, but you know how slippery she is," Ash said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"I know _you _do," Al said, rather lewdly, and I hid my flaming face in my hands. "I'm afraid I never got that close."

"And you never will," Ash said mildly, but there was an edge to his voice. "She's mine now. Leave her alone, Algaliarept. Be content with the student you have."

Looking surly, Al muttered a curse and vanished. I had no doubt he was going to run off straight to Newt to tattle on us, and then beat the hell out of Pierce again. Poor fellow.

"Now _that...? _Was satisfying," Ash said.

I tapped my foot impatiently. "All right, out with it, Ash. What is it about Rachel and I that is so fucking peculiar that we qualify as students?"

Ash sauntered over with a finger to his lips playfully, then looked around theatrically as if making sure nobody could overhear us. Then he leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Because like Rachel Mariana Morgan, you, my new student, can invoke demon magic."

And as I stared at him, speechless with wonder and horror, he kissed me soundly on the lips and amped his mark up to eleven. To my chagrin, it was enough of a distraction that I forgot all about this revelation for the next half an hour or so.

I blamed the robes. Stupid robes. At least they deserved the destruction that hit them shortly thereafter.


	14. The Morning After

_Well, here we go, then...can't leave well enough alone, can I? Onward to further adventures! I have no idea where this is headed! Wheee!_

_Thanks again to Thought Criminal, Assija, Green1, Unnoticeable Person, and Julz for your encouragement and a few really fun suggestions that I've started working in here. :)  
_

**In Which Evie Learns that Reverse Psychology Doesn't Work On Demons**

I awoke slowly in a strange bed, feeling warm and cozy. Right away I knew _something _was wrong.

To start with, usually I awoke with a violent jerk, startled out of some nightmare by a fortuitous shriek from a kid playing outside. I took a moment to enjoy the sensation, and realized that I wasn't alone, nor was I in my comfy cow-spotted PJs, nor was I in my house, and holy fuck did it reek of burnt amber in here! There was an alarmingly naked demon passed out beside me, and his arm was draped over my stomach in a possessive gesture, even in sleep.

Ah, yes. This time the nightmare was real.

I froze, the events of the previous day came trickling back, one humiliating piece at a time. Nearly dying by my own hand. Ash agreeing to help me. Tricking me. Scaring the daylights out of me. Seducing me. I got that far and paused to revel in the new sensation of complete and total what-the-fuckery THAT memory awoke. No, seriously, what the fuck had happened? I waited for the panic attack to bitchslap me upside the head. And waited a little longer. It didn't come, though by all rights I should be screaming and throwing up in the corner. Good God. I couldn't even call it a seduction, I'd practically jumped the guy yesterday- before he'd even used magic, or played with the mark.

Nope, couldn't pin_ that _one on Ash, unless he had other methods of messing with my head beyond the obvious. What the ever-loving fuck was wrong with me?

My face was burning with humiliation...OK, perhaps it wasn'_t all _humiliation, because I was remembering more details now, and holy shit, is _that _why people were always on about sex? I'd never gotten it before, as all my previous encounters had been Dullsville. For my entire adult life, my best lover had been my own damned hand, and I'd given up on men. Sure, I'd had fantasies, read the bodice-rippers with the rest of the lonely singles. But they weren't real, just someone's twisted fantasy of a happily ever after. Until yesterday.

I lay there in Ash's bed, mind working furiously. Was I angry? Was I scared? Sure, I was both. I had thoroughly screwed myself yesterday, and then been screwed in turn by Ash in just about every way there was to be screwed. The only screwing he'd left out was thumbscrews, but I was sure he'd find a way to work those in if I pissed him off again. Was I still in mortal peril? How the hell was I supposed to know? I had pretty much four mental states: cynical and pissed off, cynical and merely irritable, cynical and confused, and full on panic attack. There really were no in-betweens, and since I was not busy falling apart, my mind was chugging sensibly along in cynical confusion, heroically trying to make sense of the complete left turn my life had just taken with its usual practicality.

Surely it had to be time to return to earth, right? God, the thought of starting a new life without friends, family, or even the basics like food, clothing, shelter and cash, was terrifying. I had nothing. _Nothing! _ Of course, I had the option to just stay here as Ash's newest housepet. Which was also out of the question, and also terrifying. _Gotta hand it to you, Evie...when you fuck up, you fuck up big time_. I supposed I should be grateful that I was still alive, but now I was even further in demon shit than ever before. And apparently would be for some time. I felt tears begin to prickle threateningly. _ No, no, no, you're not going to break down yet, Evie. Don't give him that satisfaction, too. You can do this. One day at a time._

Sighing, I swallowed down the burning lump in my throat and turned my head to study Ash. Huh. Demons apparently need their sleep too. The more I learned of these guys, the less they seemed like all-powerful demigods, and the more they seemed like...well...people. Vile, cruel, nasty, ruthless bullies, but people all the same. His face was innocent as an angel's in sleep. I wondered what he really looked like. Nobody had such perfectly symmetrical features and flawless skin without magic, and demons were always swimming in it. Not wanting to wake him, I tried to slide his hand off of my belly so I could get up, rising a little to take a look around the room.

He stirred, then shifted to a more comfy position, his face pressed to my arm and his arm once again curled around my body. "Five more minute_zzzz_," he murmured, sinking back into sleep almost instantly.

I raised an eyebrow in the dim firelight of the room. My demon was a cuddler? How...cute. Ugh. Who'd have thought? Ironic, too- I most certainly _wasn't_, and now that I'd awoken from my exhausted slumber, there was no way I could fall back asleep again. Trying to relax or sleep with someone touching me always made me twitchy and impatient, especially if they were breathing on me, too. But the room was chilly and the bed was warm, so I gave him his five minutes and then some, thinking over what I had been able to piece together from the adventures of the previous day. It was really the first time I'd had to actually _think_ since I'd come here, and if he woke up, that would definitely change. Just call it a hunch.

Besides, my brief glance had confirmed what my senses had told me. The bed was surrounded by a ward so potent that it fairly hummed. I wondered whether it was to keep me in, or to keep everything else out. _Paranoid much, Ash? _Either way, I wasn't going anywhere until he took it down, unless I wanted to start my morning off frying myself like bacon. I had no chance of disassembling a demon ward, then paused. Did I?

Could it be true? I could work demon curses? How was it even possible? A lot of completely impossible things had happened yesterday. Blasting Ash through charmed silver being at the top of the list, followed closely by his incredible seduction. Then there was the whole fiasco of Ash trying to murder me right afterwords, and then suddenly declaring me his student. There was meeting his familiar, the demon mall, the surreal encounters with Dali and Al. Wrap that all in the delightful bow of having to fake my own death to survive and being reduced to asking Ash for help! I didn't think I could handle another curve ball thrown at me today.

I pondered what he'd told me and tried to piece it together. Witches with Rosewood Syndrome could kindle demon magic, I'd gathered. I wondered how that had possibly come about. There was way more to this story than just Ash wanting someone to teach. He'd known about that aspect of me years ago. I'd reasoned that, from what he had told Al. That was the purpose of the "blood test" he'd given me, the night he'd marked me. No, something else had happened, something he'd figured out when I blasted him last night.

How had I managed that, anyway? I'd been wearing charmed silver- still was wearing it, damn it- so there was no way I could have manipulated the energy through my _chi_. That's what zippy strips do, they block off that entire pathway (how, I have no idea). Near as I could figure, I'd reflected his magic back to him through my mark on his chest, which made absolutely no sense at all because it was just a damned scar and not a real demon mark like I wore.

Wasn't it?

I nearly smacked myself on the forehead. You know who'd know? Rachel! I'd call her the moment Ash dropped me off and left me alone. There was always the chance that Al was as tight-lipped as Ash about it all, but if I were lucky she'd fill me in on some details. Maybe we could form a support group, I thought, unable to help my grin. No, a study group. A demon student honors society. No! A sorority!

I couldn't suppress the small noise of mirth that escaped me, and Ash awoke suddenly. His hair was all tousled, and despite his red demon eyes, he looked for all the world like any other harmless young man blinking at me in sleepy confusion. I felt the barest twinge of something that dangerously resembled affection, and gave it a good, thorough stomping-on and grinding-in. Thank goodness the danger only lasted until opened his mouth, of course. "Something amuses you, student?"

He really knew just how to rile me up but good, didn't he? I felt myself flush with anger and embarrassment. "God, Ash, don't call me 'student' while I'm in your bed!" I complained, shoving his arm away. "You know, in my world professors lose their jobs over this sort of thing."

"How fortunate that we're not_ in_ your world, _student,_" he said. Great. I had a feeling I should have kept my mouth shut.

"Well, why aren't we? Surely the sun's down by now!" I tried to sit up, and naturally he rolled on top of me. I caught my breath at the obvious evidence that demons shared another common trait of witch and human males in the morning. I didn't even get another word in before he'd slipped himself right in there, as if he owned the place. His lips captured mine, cutting off my squeal of protest. It wasn't long before I wasn't mumphing indistinct curses against his kisses anymore, and was mumphing indistinct encouragements instead.

Great. Just great. Just when had this happened? When did I become so fucking_ easy? _ It was as if he'd released something inside me, something insatiable that had been long denied. He didn't even need to use his magic this morning, just took his sweet time until I melted under him. He was a lot gentler today, perhaps sensing that I'd taken quite a bruising the previous evening. It didn't matter that I was still absolutely furious with him, suspicious of his motives, and frankly terrified of making him angry again. Some primal part of me responded to him in a frighteningly powerful way, overriding my reason and taking the rest of my psyche along for the ride. Regardless of the consequences.

_Consequences. Shit. _ "Ash," I said again as soon as I caught my breath, "we keep going on like this and you'll end up with more than just a student. I swear to god I will nail your balls to the floor if you _dare _try to get knocked me up."

"Never fear, I'll take care of it," he said with a lopsided grin.

"Take care of it?" That could mean anything from contraception to abortion to friggin' demon daycare! "How?"

"I will _take care_ of it,' he said again. "Trust me."

"Not on your life," I muttered. I resolved to mix up a batch of my own contraceptive charms the minute I got back. I had no illusions that this would be a one-time thing, after all. I'd be spending three days of my week- 72 entire fucking _hours_- with this man, and apparently all he needed to do was snap his fingers and I was suddenly transformed from Evie the Never Gets Any to Evie Does the Ever After. Friggin' peachy.

Stupid hormones. Stupid mark. Stupid Evie. Perhaps staying celibate for ten years hadn't been such a great idea. Not that it was a conscious choice, it was just that I'd simply not been attracted to witch or human men...well, ever. Not really. Or women either, for that matter. Ash was right. I hadn't enjoyed myself during the brief time of my life when I had decided to try sleeping around. It had been embarrassing, really, my inability to climax with anyone, so I'd given up and just accepted that I was a cold fish.

It was doubly embarrassing that it _Ash_ who apparently did it for me._ Dear God, why him?_ So I had a demon fetish...? No, not just _any_ demon, the thought of Al or Devi or Dali even laying a finger on me was absolutely repellant, let alone sharing power or anything else more intimate than a handshake.

_Oh, shit._

I wasn't falling for Ash, was I? Not sensible Evie, right? Right? I refused to get twitterpated over this monster, hormones be damned!

He must have seen my horrified look, and laughed. "I ask you, Evie, do I look like the fatherly type?"

"No, but you do look like the type who'd happily use me for breeding stock," I said nastily, more to remind myself of what he was than to hurt him. "A witch-demon hybrid who could kindle demon magic? Sounds like excellent familiar material to me!"

I was gratified that even Ash looked shocked at the idea of selling his own offspring into slavery. Apparently even demons had a limit to how low they'd sink.

"Don't give me that look, Ash, you have given me absolutely no idea what your motives are here. All I know is that supplying familiars is your fucking job. And, I might add, that you're a lazy son of a bitch who might appreciate some time off to do a little dabbling in fancy breeding."

"Wow," he said, eyes wide. "I'm impressed that little incident yesterday worked so well. Perhaps a little too well," he added under his breath.

I eyed him suspiciously for awhile, annoyed that he'd deny it. But then, he hadn't denied it, had he? "Would you just pick a fucking side, Ash? Either be diabolical or don't, but all this switching back and forth is making me queasy."

He favored me with a bemused expression. "I can't be both? I rather like keeping you off guard. No, I think I'll continue just being myself, thank you very much. _Student._"

I groaned, wishing I could think of a suitably insulting honorific to call him back. "Can I go home now?" I asked, then remembered again: I didn't have a home anymore. I closed my eyes in pain for a moment, for just a fleeting instant thinking again how much easier it would be just to give in and stay here. But no, that would be admitting defeat, to Ash, and more importantly, myself.

"No," he said. "You're mine for another 68 hours. Welcome to your first day of school. And you will address me as Professor Ash."

I stared at him, appalled. I had fucking _earned _my professorship, thankyouverymuch! What'd he done to deserve it? "For Pete's sake, Ash, at least let me get dressed and out of your god damned bed, first!" I was blushing furiously. Again. "And there is no fucking way I am calling you that. Even if you make me sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap."

Ash's red demon eyes glittered dangerously. "You will address me as Professor Ash, or you may sit in the corner wearing nothing at all," he replied. "Shall I tell you which option_ I _prefer?"

I slipped out from under the covers and stood, glaring at the smug creep lounging across his bed like a grinning gigolo on his wine-colored sheets. Two could play at this game. I grudgingly decided that over 5000 years of experience _might_ qualify one for a doctorate, at least, so I went with that. "All right, Doctor Demon, when do we get started?" I asked, bold as brass, still bare as a plucked daisy. "Go ahead, leave me like this, you asshole!" I indicated my lack of clothing and the silver shackle that _still _hung on my wrist. Jesus, he'd even make me wear it while I slept? "I give you...ten minutes before you get bored with keeping up this charade, and start messing with my mark again. How you expect me to learn a god damned thing here is beyond me."

I couldn't decide from his stern face whether he was amused, annoyed, or ready to jump me, but I was not going to let him intimidate me. If it meant that I spent my first day twisting curses in my birthday suit, then so be it. Yesterday had been a blur of extreme emotions and surreal experiences, a wild ride that I had to run to keep up with. Today I was determined to hold my own and reestablish that so help me, Evie Sinclaire is not the total fucking pushover that she had been the day before!

I realized that Ash's severe, tight-lipped expression was simply him trying not to smile. "Evie, Evie, Evie," he chided, unable to hide the wicked mirth in his voice, "You did_ not _just try_ reverse psychology_ on a demon, did you...?"

Aaaaaaand that's why I was still bare-assed and sitting in a corner, still wearing that damned bracelet, still flushed and bothered from the wash of sensations he'd stirred (again), fuming over a book when Newt showed up.


	15. Legal Troubles

_Dude, things are going way too well for Ash lately._..

**In Which Ash Gets His Demon Ass Jailed**

"Ashmedai," a voice said, and I looked up to see that we were not alone. Ash had shot to his feet and was looking shocked as hell at a demon who'd just appeared in what Ash called our "classroom." The newcomer was bald, androgynous, clad in a robe of deep blood red shot with silver. And he…she?...looked really, really pissed off.

"Newt," Ash exclaimed, his eyes wide. He looked for all the world like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "How are you, love? I can explain," he added, as she approached him.

"Can you…?" she asked, then paused to look about her curiously. She suddenly looked distracted. "This is a new room," she said.

"It is," Ash said neutrally, and I could see that he was gripping the back of his chair so hard that his fingers were white and trembling.

So this was Newt, hmmm? The queen mother of the demon world, the one they all were terrified of. It appeared that Ash was no exception. I also recalled that Dali had predicted her interference in my "training." Al had told her all about me, hadn't he? Bastard.

She hadn't noticed me yet. I stayed as quiet as possible, Ash's face telling me everything I needed to know about this woman. She didn't look crazy. Yet.

She cocked her head at him, silent, and the silence stretched. Her brows knit as she looked around again, as if she'd forgotten why she came. She sniffed. Then she took a longer breath, as if….

_Oh, shit._ I winced as her eyes flashed over in my direction. I stared back in shock as I saw that she didn't have eyes at all- or rather, she did, but they were black, entirely black, pupil, sclera, and all. I shivered- hard to tell if she was actually looking at me, or if she was looking at everything, including my past, present, future, the color of my aura and perhaps the contents of my bowels just for the hell of it.

"Newt, this is my newest acquisition, Evie," Ash said tightly, and I tried not to bristle at his choice of words. If she didn't already know about me, then he wasn't going to be the one to tell her.

Newt's unreadable face turned back to Ash. "She stinks of _you,_" she said, and her voice was loaded with disgust. "Is she the one?"

Ash kept his poker face on, though the wood of the chair under his fingers cracked sharply. "She is," he agreed.

"Hmm." Newt strode over and, before I had even decided what I should do, had lifted me by an arm and my neck. She was strong, stronger even than Ash, and I stayed stock still in case she decided to squeeze. She took in my condition, every last detail: Shackle. Nudity. Bruises. Demon mark. I felt something sort of breeze through my head, and realized with a start that she was in there, somehow.

"And is it true?" she asked. She was looking at me, and she was in my head, so wasn't about to try to _lie_. I nodded. She wasn't ungentle when she set me down, and I stayed standing, meeting her cold, empty black gaze as best I could.

Her eyes narrowed and she whirled on Ash. "Is it true?" she roared suddenly, magic crackling around her in a nimbus of white. She was zero to homicidal in less than a breath, and I flinched back a step.

White-faced, Ash nodded, hands out in a placating, "I can explain" gesture.

Her black eyes…God, I swore I could see them glowing, and how the fuck do black eyes fucking glow, anyway? "You admit it?" she shouted in disbelief.

"I…I had Dali's approval," he stammered, but Newt was stomping over to him in a rage, unhearing. "Everything is perfectly lega-" He stopped when Newt grabbed his wrists, then fell to his knees and gave a long, keening cry of pain.

Oh, God, was she going to kill him? Should I do anything? Could I do anything? _Yeah._ _Go ahead and try to meddle in the affairs of angry demons, Evie. For you are crunchy and good with catsup._ I just watched in horror as she simply held his wrists, and I felt a powerful wash of Ever After course through the room like a heatwave. It came from Ash, and I realized that he was now wearing silver bands like mine. Two of them. Real big ones. Ornately carved and ancient looking.

He remained kneeling, panting with his head bowed. That much Ever After leaving you at once had to ache something fierce, I thought, wincing in sympathy. But what was happening? Ash was in deep shit, that much I gathered. But she'd stepped back from him, panting heavily herself and glaring at him with furious contempt. She gestured, and out of nowhere three…dear God, what were they?...stepped out of thin air.

"Confine him," she ordered, and two…things, huge, hulking creatures with glowing demon-red eyes, grabbed Ash and vanished. I was left alone with a seriously pissed off, insane demon woman and a demon who had finally decided to fucking look the part, huge, scaled, clawed, misshapen. I was too shocked by this turn of events to speak as she turned back to regard me. "Take the witness to the holding chamber," she ordered, and vanished.

Aaaaaaand that was how I ended up bare-assed and still wearing that damned bracelet in a demon courtroom.


	16. The Culprit Revealed

_Who's behind Ash's incarceration? Who do you think? *evil grin*_

**In Which Evie's Couch Fortress Is Breached By Al  
**

I shivered from more than just the chill, as I huddled in the small, but not uncomfortable, little room that was apparently reserved for "witnesses." I'd had another attack when the demon...bailiff? Enforcer? Hellspawn?...had grabbed me and transported me here. But he'd simply dumped me and left, and I'd been alone for what seemed like hours.

If I hadn't been terrified when I'd awoken in Ash's bed this morning (evening?), I certainly was now. Ash was in trouble, and I had no idea why. He'd seemed cocky enough all day yesterday! It had probably been a bad idea to taunt Al like that. Maybe Al had lied to them about something Ash did?

My heart paused to cringe. Maybe they'd somehow found out that _Ash_ had lied, to me? What was it he said they'd do? Strip him of his powers and give him to me? I shuddered at the thought. I wasn't a demon and I certainly wasn't interested in owning someone, even if that someone was a pain in the ass who desperately deserved a serious comeuppance. And Ash had said I'd be sold off. Oh God. The thought of who'd be interested in buying me—

I felt my heart race again and tried a few breathing techniques to slow it down again. Not Al. Oh God, _please_ not Al. No, it couldn't be him, I reassured myself, he was broke. Ash told me he couldn't afford a puppy, let alone a witch who could invoke demon magic. Of course, Ash had told me there were demons out there who were even more cruel to their familiars than he himself was. And I'd seen how cruel Ash and Al could be. God, I was so screwed.

I shivered all the more, for now I'd really lost everything. The deal I'd made with Ash now seemed to be worth exactly the paper it was signed on, and the limited protection he could give me was gone.

I jerked as I felt the air pop twice, and two demons appeared. Dali. Beside him, Al.

"The preliminary hearing will be in twenty minutes. Or whenever Newt decides to grace us with her presence, assuming she's still lucid today," Dali said, and Al nodded in acknowledgment. Al's eyes lit on me and widened with mocking surprise.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said, giving me a lazy, deliberate once-over. "And so much of you," he added as I reddened with embarrassment. Oh, goody, it just got better and better. Al was behind this. Which meant he had a scheme. Which meant that screwed didn't even_ begin_ to cover my situation anymore.

"Hands off, Al," Dali warned. "She's not yours yet. She needs to be undamaged and coherent for the hearing, or you don't have a case." Dali promptly vanished, leaving me alone with Al.

Mouth gone dry, all I could do was sit there as Al approached. I was already wedged into a little ball on the corner of a nondescript love seat, clutching the big seat cushion from the other side. It was the only thing I'd found to hide under, and even if it made me look like a little kid making a couch fort, I didn't care. Too late, I realized that it also meant that Al would have nowhere to sit, assuming he wanted the couch, too. Which, of course, he did. He plunked himself right down beside me, squashing me between his elegant velvet coat and the ugly arm of the couch. Jerk. There were plenty of chairs in here! I tried to get up, but he rested his elbow on the cushion on my lap, and it was just as effective at keeping me put as an anvil.

The silence stretched as I tried to ignore the fact that the demon I feared even more than Ash was here, and was apparently the cause of my current predicament. And he was sitting so close that I could smell his aftershave as well as his own masculine scent, under the reek of burnt amber that clung to him. Unlike Ash, I'd never dealt with Algaliarept outside of a circle, barring the whole Colorado incident which had been a total accident. Al's temper was too mercurial, too unpredictable, and of the two, I'd say he was even more clever and subtle than Ash when it came to devious bargains. I would never enter an agreement with Al willingly if I could help it, because I'd seen him screw over too many other summoners in my short-lived career. Al, outside a circle, without any limitations other than "she needs to be coherent," cosying up next to me like I was his date for the evening? And me without a stitch of clothing on, shackled in silver?

Oh God, it was enough to send my heart rate skyrocketing again, and I hoped I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me collapse in terror. Again.

"Nothing to say to me, love?" he asked finally, tousling my disheveled hair. "We're such old friends, and you won't even say hello?"

I swallowed again. "You're evil?" I offered, a pretty succinct summary of my thoughts at the moment.

Al preened. "Yes, I am, aren't I? But you're much better off with me, than with Newt. _I'm_ merely evil. _She _is...creatively and perversely _diabolical._ Best she forgets about you as soon as possible, you really don't want to belong to _her._"

"Not like I have a choice," I muttered, wondering what she'd done to make even Al afraid of her, then decided I probably didn't want to know.

"Perhaps you do," he replied, and I got a prickling sense of foreboding as I glanced at him. Swell. He wanted something from me. "I'd say that Ash is in big trouble, wouldn't you?" he said. "Isn't it great?"

"For _you_, apparently," I said, keeping my voice neutral, though it was still embarrassingly unsteady. "What do I get out of it?"

"Why, you get Ash! In a bottle! Your own personal demon slave, at your beck and call! Won't that be fun?"

"_Fun_?" I gave him an incredulous look. "You are all freaking _insane _here. You know that, right?"

"You're sure you don't find it the idea juuust the _teensiest_ bit cathartic? After all the nasty things he did to you, the lies he told you?"

"I'm a little more worried about my own skin at the moment, Al," I said truthfully.

"And what lovely skin it is," he said with a leer, and I slapped his hand away from my thigh. "Sorry," he said, completely unrepentantly, "there's just so much on display, it's hard to resist."

"Ha ha ha. Make a crack about the bracelet next," I said, showing him. "Go on, that's even funnier. Then make a few threats of creative violence to round out my stellar morning."

Al stretched out, thunking his black boots on the table and slipping his velvet arm about my unwilling shoulders. "Ahh, Evie, all in good time. You can come up with ways to thank me later." He took a long sniff of my scent, and grinned wickedly as I grimaced. "Mmm. I can think of a few right now."

"_Thank_ you?" I said incredulously, trying without success to shove off the iron band that was his arm. I tried to get up, but that wasn't happening either. _Don't panic. He can't hurt you. Must be coherent and in one piece, that's what Dali said. Hearing in twenty minutes. He doesn't have time to..._

"You're welcome! See, that wasn't difficult, was it? Now all you have to do is tell the court all about his broken promise, and-"

"How do you know about that?" I demanded.

"Ash underestimates my tracking abilities," he said smugly. "And the twerp isn't as good at cloaking spells as he thinks he is. I watched the entire drama, love. I must say, aren't _you_ the gullible one?"

I almost didn't ask, but how else was I going to pass the time? "All right, I'll bite: What do you mean?" I asked irritably.

Al hummed a little tune, tapping the rhythm out on my shoulder with his gloved fingers. "He couldn't have nabbed your soul, had you gone and blown yourself up. Oh, I'm sure he would've _tried,_ perhaps succeeded...but this little nothing of a mark was no guarantee." He gave Ash's mark a little stroke, and I cringed, waiting for it to react in some way, good or bad...but it didn't. Crap, I wished he would stop touching me. He was only doing it to freak me out, and it was working, _way_ too well.

"Bastard," I growled obligingly, hardly surprised. I sighed and leaned my head back, fighting off a new wave of despair. If I'd blown myself up, I'd be dead now, and as of this moment nothing had happened that was worse than being dead. Plenty had happened to make me _want_ to crawl into a hole and die, but that was a different matter. I wished for a clock. How much longer was I going to have to make small talk with Al? "So what did Ash do to get you so pissed off at him?" I wasn't nearly vain enough to think this was really about _me._

Al was in good spirits today, expansive and apparently happy to chat. He actually answered my question for free. "He nailed me with a charge of Uncommon Stupidity a few years back. I lost everything, thanks to him. Half his apartments are _mine_, damn him."

"Really?" I was intrigued. _Uncommon Stupidity, eh? Why don't we have a law like that? Maybe I should lobby for one. They could name it after me._ "And here I thought you were just being greedy and spiteful."

"Oh, that too," he replied with a grin. "And don't forget my undying devotion to _you_. Kill two birds with one stone? How could I possibly resist?"

"Still mad about Colorado, huh?"

Al waved a white-gloved hand as if shooing away a fly. "All in the past, love, all in the past. Cooperate with me, and I'll happily continue your training under the same terms you agreed to with Ashmedai."

I eyed him suspiciously. "It'll be a cold day in...no, a hot, sunny day in Hell before I believe you're happy to forgive and forget, Al. Especially after that whole "killing birds" comment. What's the catch?"

Al gave me a playful, but painful squeeze. I felt my shoulder blades creak and winced. "And here I was just calling you _gullible_. But I assure you, I _am _willing to overlook that dreadfully embarrassing incident in exchange for your honest testimony. I'm not even asking you to _lie_."

"You mean my betrayal," I corrected, staring at the abstract design on the large pillow that I'd been holding in my lap. "You don't need me to do testify willingly, you're fucking _demons!_ I _know_ you have a way to rip it out of my head, one way or another. You want me to break a promise myself, which'll have some dire consequence I don't know about. Well, the answer's no, Al. If there's two things I've learned from this whole fiasco, it's that you never break a deal with a demon. And that I can't bargain for shit. So _no_. No more bargaining. I'll take whatever comes next and consider it a freaking life lesson, assuming I survive it. And I'm not helping you bring Ash down. Having _you_ pissed off at me is bad enough, I don't need _him _out for blood as well."

Al was silent for long enough that I risked looking at him again. I tried to get up again, but his hand on my shoulder kept me stuck fast. I tried sliding out from under his arm instead, but he moved so quickly I hardly even saw it. One moment he was sitting beside me, and the next he was pinning me to the couch with a hand on my throat. I swallowed and winced at the weight of his knee on my legs, and waited for him to squeeze the life out of me. At least the cushion was still between us!

"You're right, Yvette," he said quietly, his face inches from mine. "We can force you to testify. But if you don't cooperate, or your interference costs me anything- _anything!_- that is rightfully mine?" He smiled cruelly, then leaned so close his lips brushed my ear. "_You'll regret it._ And you have_ no idea_ how much I will enjoy myself in fulfilling that threat. Are we clear?"

I was struggling to breathe and it wasn't because of his hand. I stared at him through the sudden tears in my eyes and nodded. Oh, hell, yeah, Al could still scare the daylights out of me without even half trying.

Just as quickly he was sitting beside me again, smiling pleasantly as if he hadn't just promised me creative eternal damnation. I wiped my streaming eyes and tried to pull myself back together, because Dali could come back at any moment, and if I was twisting on the floor in a full panic attack and Al got in trouble for it, well, I knew who Al would blame.

"So tell me," he said cooly, drawing a gloved finger idly down my bare arm to make me shiver again. "What are the terms of your apprenticeship?"

"Three days a week here," I said, clearing my throat and still trying to slow down the involuntary panting. "Four days off."

Al waited. "That's _it?"_ he asked finally. "No other conditions, terms, limitations? Three days a week in the Ever After with him, and he can do anything he damn well pleases with you?"

I bit my lip. "As I said...I can't bargain for shit. I was supposed to get transported to a new place, and a curse to alter my appearance, too. And...some other information," I concluded.

Al shook his head incredulously. "You really _are _an idiot," he said. "And so is he." He grinned widely. "For getting caught."

I didn't disagree on either count. Fortunately I was saved from having to admit it by the appearance of two uniformed demons. "Come along," one of them ordered, and along we came.


	17. The Hearing

**In Which Ownership Issues Are Considered**

"Can I have a robe? A blanket? Something?" I asked the room at large again, but once again nobody paid the insignificant little naked witch any heed. I was nothing here. No rights, no voice…they'd even taken my couch cushion away, damn them!

I was feeling murderous by the time they got around to asking me any questions. Fortunately for my dignity, the only witnesses to this new round of humiliation were Al, Dali, Newt, half a dozen other demons I didn't recognize...and Ash, standing stock still in a circle of shame etched on the floor, bracelets like shackles on his wrists. He wasn't otherwise restrained in any way, just stood there with arms folded and a baleful expression on his face. I'm sure my own expression wasn't any more pleasant. We were both screwed, and we both knew it.

There were a lot of legal terms tossed about, but the gist was clear: Al wanted damages from Ash, claiming that Ash breaking his promise allowed him to steal a valuable asset (me). Al's argument was that had Ash kept his promise, either I would have died, I would have_ tried_ to die and either of them would have had an equal chance at catching my spirit as it flew off, or I would have belonged to both of them after they'd worked together to take down my circle.

As Al was standing way too close behind me, I didn't say a word about what _I _thought about this analysis. His hand tightened on my shoulder whenever I drew a breath to speak. Point made. I kept my yap shut.

The other issue was also clear: Newt had established the rules of summoning, and demons who thought themselves above the rules were publicly put in their place. She was livid that Ash had used outright deceit to catch anyone. Apparently trickery, misdirection, ruses, brute force, rape, torture, and murder were A-OK in her book, but breaking a contract was grounds for a serious smackdown. Nice lady. She would take him down and everyone would get to point and laugh. That was the real purpose of actually holding a public trial. Ash would lose everything, and as the wounded party, Al would get it. And since I was nothing more than property in this courtroom, that included me, as well, regardless of any deals made prior to Ash's incarceration.

Double revenge _and_ riches in one fell swoop. Gotta hand it to Al, he was good at being a fucking demon, all right.

Absent through all of this was the mention of my ability to kindle demon magic. Al, Dali, and Ash knew, but none of them mentioned it or even hinted at it. Nobody mentioned that Ash had publicly shown me off as a student rather than a familiar. I wondered if Newt knew. Didn't Al tell her that, too?

They finally got around to asking me to confirm that Ash had broken a promise.

"I refuse to testify," I said, and saw Ash's eyes flash over to look at me with surprise. "I neither confirm nor deny it happened."

"I saw truth in her head," Newt said. "She admitted it, they both did."

"We thought you meant—OW!" Al's hand pinched so hard I felt bones grind. "...we thought you were asking something else," I finished.

Al shifted behind me, and I could tell from the growing pain in my shoulder that he was really, really displeased. Ash was staring at me with an unreadable expression. Was he angry? Confused? Jealous? Resigned? I honestly couldn't tell from his face. All I knew was that he had his full attention fixed on me, and he was _not_ looking happy.

"You only asked "is it true?"," I amended. "But you didn't say _what_. Neither of us admitted to a broken promise."

Newt looked both furious and thoughtful all at once. But then she smiled nastily at Al. She obviously didn't like Al very much. "If she doesn't testify, you don't have a case, Al," she purred at him. I winced as Al's hand tightened again in anger.

"Make her," he replied lightly, as I grimaced and writhed under his gloved hand. "It's all in her head. A simple truth curse will do it."

"But if_ she _has no quarrel with Ash's actions,_ you_ are certainly not entitled to all the damages you request. At most, he merely owes _you_ half the value of this familiar." _Oh, shit. Al is going to have my hide for this. _ "How much would you say she's worth, Al?"

I felt Al struggling with the answer to that. To admit my true nature would get Newt on my case, but to make me out as a normal witch would drastically reduce the price he could get from Ash. For a moment I hoped he'd let it go, but greed won. "She's like Rachel Mariana Morgan" he said, and a rustle of voices rose around us before Dali silenced them with a glare. "She's priceless."

"WHAT?" Newt was before us before I had even seen her move, staring at me with her livid, empty, black-on-black eyes. Frightened, I found myself plastered up against Al behind me, as even he seemed safer than this demon woman. "_Another _one, and_ you_ claim her as well? No! You will give this one to me, Al, or I swear-"

"She belongs to Ash, love," Al said reasonably. "If, however, you wish to continue to press charges with me, we can get her ownership transferred to me, and then...perhaps I shall sell her to you. You're right, I don't really need_ two_ students. And this one really is the more proficient ley line witch, anyway. Rachel still has years to go before she's remotely worth _your_ time."

Ash made a deep growling noise that everyone ignored but me. From the ugly expression on his face, and the way his already ruddy skin was flushing, he was absolutely livid. And from the way his eyes were fixed on me, I got the impression that he was going to blame me for this- everyone else was just too powerful to blame, but I would make a very convenient scapegoat. Well, fuck him. He'd fucked me over but good, so I really didn't have a lot of sympathy for him at the moment.

Newt had grabbed my face and was peering deep into my eyes. I felt her probing around my head and tried to fling up a protective circle around my thoughts, but the damned charmed silver made it impossible. I was furious. How dare she invade my private memories? I stewed and fumed impotently as she wandered through my recent experiences, and I felt her amusement at my powerlessness. She found what she wanted, though, and released me, looking between myself and Ash with an expression that let us both know she knew everything that had gone on between us.

"Ashmedai," she drawled. "You will answer for your crimes in one week's time. In the meantime, I claim temporary custody of your witch."

Al cleared his throat. "I contest her claim. I want custody." He stiffened as Newt glared at him, but stood his ground. "I still seek damages from Ashmedai."

"I object!" I chimed in angrily. "I want custody of _myself_, because thanks to _you,_ Al, Ash can't keep his end of our deal! I want to go back to reality, like I was promised!"

Nobody deigned to even hear me, though Al now had two hands on my shoulders and I was nearly ready to cry from the pain of his furious grip. I couldn't go with _him_, he was ready to murder me!

"She's still _my _witch. I'll decide," said Ash firmly. I gaped at him. It was the first and only thing he'd said since I'd entered the courtroom.

"You are _nothing!_" Newt shrieked at him, rounding on him, and Ash flinched a little. But Dali was looking between the three of them thoughtfully.

"He has not yet admitted his guilt, or had it proven. She's still his property, and it is his right to decide," Dali said firmly.

Newt made a dismayed, frustrated sound. I stared at Ash, open-mouthed, heart pounding. We waited expectantly. I guess this is when I'd find out how much Ash had it in for me...

"Algaliarept," Ash said coldly, through gritted teeth. "I grant you temporary custody of Yvette Therese Sinclaire. If she is not in a fit state to testify on my behalf in one week's time, I shall claim damages of my own from you."

Newt made another furious sound and vanished abruptly. The tension in the room eased considerably. Even Dali's shoulders relaxed somewhat as he made a note on a legal pad on his desk. "Al, do you accept?"

"Gladly," he drawled, right in my ear. I couldn't help but jump and lean away.

"Don't do anything rash, Al. She has to be in the same condition you received her in. If she can't testify, or she has an unfortunate 'accident', you'll have to forfeit something of equal value. And we all know you only have _one thing_ of equal value. Think carefully before you-"

"Yes, yes, yes," he said, waving a white gloved hand. "She'll be quite safe under my care. I'll make sure she's still right as rain when it comes to trial time."

I swallowed, unable to believe this was happening. Ash had given me to Al. Just given me away. Just like that. I felt sick with fear and betrayal. Of course, would it be any better if he'd given me to Newt? Newt must be pretty fucking terrifying if Al was coming out as the better option, here...

Dali tapped his file on the desk in a "we're done here" motion. "Very well, go on and brand her, then get the hell out of here."

"WHAT?" I shrieked again, but Al already had me by the hair.

"Hold still, love," he said, and I could hear the glee dripping from his voice. But it was Ash that Al was smiling at, as Al drew a single slash straight through Ash's mark on my chest.


	18. Familiar In Training

**In Which Evie Deals With Her New Roommate**

Algaliarept released me after we had reformed in one of his rooms, and promptly backhanded me across the face. I went sprawling across a rug on the floor, and stayed there, unable to rise. His mark still burned with cold fire, aching in a way that Ash's mark never had. This one was a much more invasive, deeper bond, and the forging of it had been awful. Al's magic had delved deep into me and wrapped a black hand around my soul, intimate and horrible. And this one was a real mark. No, it was a brand of ownership. I knew that my soul wouldn't escape from it, even if my body crumbled to ashes around it. It made me realize that if I'd been smart, I would have tried to off myself with the fucking letter opener the moment I'd been left alone. That truly had been my last and only chance of being free. Now even that was gone.

"You stupid little _bitch,_" he said angrily. "All you had to do was say, 'yes, Dali, Ash broke his promise to me' and none of this would be necessary! Now he'll go to trial, and it will be a circus, and every fucking demon in the Ever After will know what you are! I hope you're satisfied. There will be demons flooding the lines, looking for more witches like you. Good thing you don't have any family left," he added in a surly voice, as I gaped at him from the floor. "I checked."

Panic stole the will from my limbs and my chest tightened in the inevitable onset of another attack. I was too sick with terror to resist it. No point in hiding it from Al, either. He'd won. I was going to have the week from hell. And Al had looked for my family? God, I'd underestimated his interest in me. I shivered, almost relieved that my own family hadn't survived the turbulent years after the Turn.

"First things first…got to get you polished up, or the court will have my nuts for abusing you. But don't think you're safe, Evie. I am _extremely _cross with you," he said, rummaging through a small wardrobe on the other side of the little room. "You'll be happy to know, however, that you have one week's reprieve before I can get really...nasty."

I took the opportunity to look around, shocked. It was a bedroom. It was very small, but very pretty, done up in shades of lavender and cream, with subtle accents of green here and there. His? No way. A demon like Al would have a huge, opulent, tacky room with gilded mirrors everywhere. His familiar's? No, his familiar was a man named Pierce, I recalled. Rachel's? Rachel didn't live here, and anyway I didn't imagine that the pretty princess pastels would be much to her taste. She also didn't strike me as the type to do delicate needlework, either.

I sat up, unable to see what was in the closet, but I guessed that it might be clothing from the rustling sounds that came from it. Al proved me right by tossing a dress at me, which I caught and held out before me to gauge how will it would fit. It was a very simple affair in cream and purple, rather like what Solange had worn when I'd met her.

I looked at Al curiously. "I see you've gotten in touch with your feminine side," I said under my breath, but he'd heard me and snorted.

"It's Ceri's room," he said. "Still attached to mine. If Rachel ever wises up and moves here, she can have it."

Ceri? I thought back to something Ash had said, about an elf that Al had kept for a thousand years. This was her room? She'd had a room of her own? Heh. I slipped the dress on hurriedly, thanking my lucky stars. It didn't fit well, having been made for someone slimmer and shorter than me, but I couldn't have cared less.

Al regarded me with narrowed eyes, contemplating me as I sat meekly on the tiny chair next to the little bed. I rubbed the throbbing mark with one hand, my throbbing cheekbone with the other. "My plans will have to wait, but it won't be long before I own you for real, Evie. In the meantime, you are my temporary familiar in all but the aural bond. As Pierce is still out babysitting, you're in charge of meals and housekeeping. If I need a curse, you'll twist it. If you're not making yourself useful, you'll stay the hell out of my sight."

I gaped at Al in renewed astonishment. "Let me get this straight. You want me to...cook and clean for you." This day just kept getting more and more surreal by the moment.

Al continued to scowl. "I'm still short on staff at the moment. Be grateful I haven't put you on bed-warming duty as well," he added with a cruel half-smile, and I swallowed, throat going dry. "It's within my rights to do so, but you reek of Ash, and I just can't stomach the thought of sloppy seconds so soon."

I choked at that comment. Wow. Good old Al, rude and crude. I swallowed again.

"You will testify whether you want to or not, and there's still a chance to salvage this fiasco to our mutual benefit. Do NOT piss me off again, Evie. Rachel is coming in five days, and you are not to say a fucking word to her or Pierce, understood?"

"OK," I said faintly. I looked around the tasteful little room, the sanctuary of someone who had lived with Al for centuries and had escaped, but who still stirred curses for him occasionally. I wondered if I'd be taking her place soon, and how horrible it would be. I'd thought being Ash's familiar would be bad enough, but Al's? Or Newt's? I wondered what had happened to Solange. She hadn't been mentioned once during the hearing. But then, Ash's ownership of Solange hadn't been contested. If Al won and got to keep all Ash's stuff, I supposed I'd have a companion in my misery here. Assuming Al kept her and didn't auction her off. Or just kill her. I hoped she was all right, the poor girl.

Then I noticed there weren't any doors, save one. I remembered what he'd said, about it being attached to his room, and shuddered, wondering if a chair wedged under the handle would keep him out for more than about three seconds, and if that would be enough warning for me to make a run for it.

Al spent a few more minutes explaining the process of navigating his living space, gave me a brief tour of the place (modern kitchen, spelling kitchen, cellar, bathroom), and finally left me alone back in Ceri's room with orders to get cleaned up and make myself fucking presentable in case he had company. And to cook him something.

Joke was on him, though. I can cook just fine...if I have my cookbooks. And Al obviously hadn't gone shopping recently. Grilled cheese was about the best I could manage with the few ingredients I could find, and I didn't understand the crestfallen look on his face when he finally showed up again for dinner.

Over the next few days I lived in constant fear of bumping into Al, but came to realize that Al really did have to take this temporary court order seriously and refrain from permanently damaging the goods, so to speak. The time passed achingly slowly, as I studiously avoided him whenever I could. But Al's living quarters consisted of only five rooms I could see, and probably one or two more than I didn't know about. It made him rather difficult to avoid when he was there. He still made me wear that damned bracelet, though, which was really, really, _really _getting old. And he pawed me, and leered at me, and cuffed me, and pinched me, and threatened me...but so far bruises, bullying, and sexual harassment were as far as it went.

All things considered, I figured I had it pretty good and obligingly tried to make myself useful and not piss him off. It chafed. _Oooooh, _did it chafe my pride and my dignity. But I'd play along for the sake of my own skin.

He cursed my ineptitude at pretty much everything I tried to do for him, until he stuck me in the spelling kitchen with a pile of ley line equipment and a handful of notes in his cramped handwriting. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was how to memorize a complicated ley line or an earth charm in less than three repetitions. And of course I knew several dialects of Latin like the back of my own hand, which relieved him of the need to translate every last little thing. In three days time I was doing nothing but stirring curses for him, and such odd things they were, too

Ash had been right. I _could _quicken demon curses with my own blood, and I felt even more dissociated from my own kind every time that sickly burnt amber stink seeped from a potion I'd made. The curses Al had me doing weren't that different from the earth charms I'd mastered, but there was an element of ley line magic in each that seemed oddly...familiar. They made an odd sort of logical sense, melded together like that, though my conscious intellect was unable to grasp the sense of it. It just felt...correct, somehow, in the back of my head.

I found myself thinking that he would make a good teacher, whenever he paused now and then to mention some relevant tidbit or another while checking my progress. He wasn't kind, or patient, but he could cut to the heart of any difficulty in an instant and explain it in a way that cleared up any lingering confusion. The academic in me couldn't help but pester him with questions, which occasionally he even answered. I didn't want to admit to myself how fascinating it was, intellectually, anyway. I was not allowed to enjoy myself here, damn it! But if this were the life that was in store for me...well, so far it wasn't all _that_ bad.

At least, that's how I felt until Al began wiping his smut off on me every time he invoked a curse I'd made.

I complained bitterly the first time he did it, saying he already had a real familiar and it wasn't _me,_ damn it! But complaining only got me a black eye, and a reminder that there were additional kinds of smut he'd be only too happy to share with me if I pushed him too far. _That _was more than enough to convince me to just shut up and bear it. It totally sucked, and it came entirely without warning, too. I'd be minding my own business, and suddenly a wave of nauseating blackness would just crawl over my soul and sink in. Worse, it reeked of his essence. I felt like a used Kleenex. He was coating me in his slime, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it. If I resisted, it burned like cold acid until I either threw up or passed out.

Son of a bitch. If I ever got back to reality, which was looking less likely by the minute, they'd take one look at my smut-blackened aura, brand me a black witch, and send me right back.


	19. The Truth Revealed

**In Which Rachel Pays a Visit, and Nonverbal Communication Comes In Handy**

I was busy dicing various fresh herbal ingredients sometime on the fifth day, when Al arrived, bringing along Rachel and another man I didn't know. I guessed he must be Pierce. I continued to dice, though I saw Rachel's eyes widen in surprise. "Dr. Johnson?" she asked incredulously, taking in the purple dress, my upgraded demon mark, and my delightfully blackened aura. "Oh _no._ Al, you didn't! Tell me you didn't."

"No, _I_ didn't, actually, not this time," Al said happily, escorting Rachel to the table where I worked. _"She_ did. She got herself demon-napped by Ash, and she's here on loan."

Well, if that's the story he wanted to tell her, I wasn't going to argue. "You might as well just call me Evie," I said, momentarily forgetting Al's instructions. "Or _mud_, which is probably even more appropriate."

Al frowned at me in warning, and I shut up. Rachel simply looked heartsick, her green eyes luminous and her mouth tight. But she took her place at the table for the evening's lesson, with an air of resignation. She was as powerless as I was to go against Al, and we both knew there was nothing she could do about it.

As I had to be silent, I spent my time observing the other three when they weren't looking. Al's demeanor had subtly shifted once Rachel was there. He was snide, and she was right there with a clever retort. She was impatient and occasionally clumsy, and he didn't smack her for it. She smacked _him _whenever he got too close, but his hands kept wandering anyway. He teased her, and she teased him right back. She followed his instructions without hesitation, showing that she trusted him to a certain extent. He turned his back on her while she had a big-ass knife in her hand...well, OK, maybe I was seeing a little more than was actually there, but one _could_ say that it took a certain amount of trust to turn your back on someone like Rachel while she had a big-ass knife in her hand, even if you _were_ a demon.

Al_ liked_ her. Perhaps that accounted for why he was being so...unabusive to me (I couldn't call him _nice_). If anything happened to me under his care, he might have to give Rachel up. And as I glanced up and saw his eyes follow her as she skipped across the floor to grab a replacement crucible from the supplies, I knew he wasn't going to. The air of the room had lightened considerably from the empty, dreary space it had been before her arrival, and now and then I saw his eyes linger on her when she wasn't looking, in a manner that almost suggested fondness.

Pierce, on the other hand, was obviously head over heals for the lovely young woman. And Al...geez, from the number of times he cuffed the young man, he knew it, and disapproved. Maybe he was even a little jealous. From Pierce's easy manner with both of them, I could tell that Pierce was unafraid of the demon- or Rachel, for that matter. He took his licks with a proud toss of his head, taunting Al behind his back. The man had obviously managed to keep his soul intact, from the sheer amount of free will he was projecting. How long had he been here with Al? He spoke and acted as if he were from a previous century, but I knew Al had kept his elf…Ceri?...until only recently. And why did Al put up with Pierce's attitude? I desperately wanted to know his story.

Rachel...well, I couldn't tell how she felt about either of them, because there was a caution to her every action that said she wasn't about to be caught dead _flirting _with either Pierce or Al in front of the other one. She was the most uncomfortable person of the three, and what's more, I could see her irritation at both of them simmering under the surface. She was quick, clever, and sassy in equal measure to both of them, probably the least magical of them all, but holding her own in this demon's spellroom as if she'd been born there.

Al remained in the kitchen as Rachel worked on the evening's lesson, probably to ensure we didn't speak to each other. Finally, Rachel hit a point where she had to wait for a large cauldron to come to a boil. She tossed back the strands of red curls that had come out of her loose twist, and sighed. "Al…you _know _I rescued the last two familiars you dangled in front of me, so why are you taunting me with _her_? What's the deal? Why won't you let her talk to us?"

I blinked, astonished. Rachel had rescued Ceri? How was it even possible? And someone else, too? My admiration for her jumped up another notch.

"She's not my familiar, itchy witch. And if she's still here next week, you can chat with her as much as you like," Al replied, distracted by something he was reading over in the corner.

Rachel humphed. "Let me guess, you're breaking her in for someone. God, Al, that's disgusting. I'm going to start playing hooky if you keep rubbing my nose in your freakin' _business ventures_." She placed a very sarcastic emphasis on the last two words.

"Nonsense. She's simply stirring curses for me, nothing more. Her demon is in a spot of trouble at the moment and he handed her over to me for…_safekeeping_." Al grinned at me as I grimaced. "Does she look broken to you?"

Rachel looked suspiciously at me, and I shrugged. Apart from the fading yellow bruise on my eye, and a burn on my hand that I'd done to myself by accident, there was no evidence of physical abuse. I had a moment of real surprise when I realized that, of the two, Al had been much more of a gentleman than Ash, who'd lied to me, tricked me, seduced me, then tried to suck out my soul. Compared to that, what was an occasional smack upside the head? _Still evil, damn it_, I concluded indignantly, determined to hold my own even in this hellish place.

"So he hasn't forced his aura on you, then?" she asked me, and I shook my head. "The other one…Ash?" she asked, and something in her relaxed when I shook my head again. "_Good_," she said empathetically, shuddering at some memory. Oh, right. Al had tried to make her his familiar once, and it had ended badly. That was another story I desperately wanted to hear. "If you can just hold on to your soul—"

Al cleared his throat. "I believe that I made my wishes perfectly clear, student. Let Evie finish her potions. You'll have to quicken them for her, Rachel" he added, with a significant look at me.

Rachel sighed and fidgeted, waiting for her spell to boil. She was a woman of action, and was getting impatient. I smiled, watching her, thinking that "itchy witch" was a pretty accurate nickname for her.

I began to decant my own sludgy concoction into seven little vials, and Rachel took them one by one and kindled then with her blood. I noticed that Al had his back to us, and quickly stopped her. Finger to my lips, I quickly pierced my finger with Al's God-awful tacky ceremonial knife, and completed the final potion myself. Quickly I hid the evidence of my wound under a cloth, as Rachel lifted the vial to her nose and sniffed, eyes widening at the clear burnt amber scent wafting from it. She stared at me a moment in shock, comprehension lighting her features. But she wiped the expression from her face, replacing it with a much more bored one, and said, "They're all done, Al," and I sighed with relief.

Al turned and inspected them, grunting his approval before capping six of them and swallowing the seventh. He hadn't ever deigned to praise my efforts, but I'd seen him invoke my curses and they worked just as they were supposed to- that was gratification enough for my little witchy heart. There was something in me that simply had just too much self-respect to let myself get it wrong. No, if I were going to twist curses, even black ones, they'd be done right.

My eyes met Rachel's again and couldn't read the expression I saw there. For my part, I was simply relieved that someone sympathetic knew my secret, knew my plight. Even if she couldn't _help_, she _knew_, and that was some small comfort.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her frantically scribbling something as Al assigned me another task from the book he now held, a much more complicated curse for…my heart stopped as I read it. It was a curse for binding a familiar. And he wanted _me_ to mix him up a batch of transfer medium. "A trial run, today," he said, a wicked smile on his lips. "Wouldn't want this one to go wrong, now, would we, when we do it for real?"

I gritted my teeth, wondering if he were simply playing with me, or if he actually intended to use it on me eventually. Scowling, I took the book he held out and plunked it on the table. I couldn't move for a long moment, during which Rachel had the opportunity to peruse and recognize the spell herself. She shifted, as if she wanted to tell me something, but thought better of it as Al's red eyes met hers with a very real warning in them. When Al turned away, I saw Rachel hand something to Pierce.

I felt the familiar tightening in my chest again as my pulse began to quicken. I took a deep shaky breath and stood. "I need a quick break," I announced, wincing at the way my voice broke midway though the words. I jumped myself to Ceri's little room without waiting for an answer. I took a few minutes to compose myself in the dim light, letting the shakes come and go as they would. Two days left, I told myself. Two days of relative safety. Then...? Who knew? I had to do something. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be!

I jumped as the air popped, and a dark-haired shape in a white shirt appeared. As Al had been coatless and had dark hair himself, I shrieked and stumbled away, but it was only Pierce. He jumped at my outburst and held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

Still breathing heavily, I stared at him. I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. He pressed a folded paper into my hand, and vanished again before he'd be missed. Hand still trembling, I opened the note, and read:

_witches=stunted demons _

_ Rosewood syn. elf curse  
_

_you & me= real thing _

_ no women but us & Newt_

_Don't let __Al know!_


	20. Confirmations and Constellations

_Author's update, 9/23/10: I am having a blast writing this story, and I even have an end in sight despite the out of the blue left hand turn it took around chapter 15. (Al, you sly dog, you...you never told me you were listening in!) I would totally love to hear from more of you, even if it's just a little private note saying you're out there reading it. This story is fueled by feedback and I'm not ashamed to beg for it! ;)  
_

**In Which Evie Learns About Her Heritage, and Gets Stars In Her Eyes.**

I stared at the note for a very long time, committing it to memory. It was impossible, unbelievable, but I'd had to swallow about a dozen unbelievable things in the past week, and this was just the latest on the list. I focused on the most crucial detail and stared at it.

_you & me = real thing_

Rachel and I were demons. Real ones. Full fledged fucking demons.

My jaw tightened in a wave of emotion that I couldn't identify, because it was just too mixed up. It had elements of horror, relief, triumph, disgust, fury, curiosity, and excitement and disbelief. But mostly fury. At Ash and Al. They'd known all along, and were trying to keep me in the dark. And now they were claiming they owned me? It was bad enough to enslave other races, but to do it to your own fucking kind? And Newt, the last female, happy to allow it?

Things kept clicking into place. Like the oddball emotions, being stupidly good at ley lines, surviving demonic power pulls, and the weird responses to strange ritualistic words that had power over me. Not to mention zapping Ash halfway across a clearing as a totally untrained kid. And maybe even why some of the more complicated earth charms never worked for me, though they worked just fine when other witches invoked them.

Son of a bitch. I was a _demon. _

_Is that why Al hasn't hurt me?_ Al could have been _worlds _worse to me than he'd been. But he'd held back. Was it really because of the trial? Was it really because he feared losing Rachel? Or was it because of what I was? All sorts of bits and pieces from the last few days were swirling madly around in my head, shaping a pattern I hadn't seen before.

_Why did it make a hill of beans difference to him if I went willingly?  
Put it on, sweet. It seals the bargain. I won't have you changing your mind.  
I want you. All__ of you. Damn the consequences. Give me leave.  
You took my imbalance. You wear my mark.  
I'll tell you if you let me make that into a __real __mark.  
I want you to choose me.  
You gave yourself to me, Evie.  
Then promise to stay here with me as my student indefinitely, and I will tell you __anything__ you want to know.  
We can force you to testify…cooperate with me, and I'll happily continue your training._

I blinked, seeing it clearly. _Choose. Give. Let._ Everything they'd done to me…shit, I'd _agreed_, gone along with it. I'd been bullied, manipulated, conned, tricked, led, pulled, and seduced, but never forced. Save for the times I was shackled with silver and couldn't fight back. And even then I'd managed to hurt Ash when he'd directly tried to kill me. And the other times? Ash had broken my circle- and I hurt him. Al tried to claim me, too, but my threat to blow us both up worked and he let me go. There was more, there, but it hovered just out of my comprehension. The thoughts were just crowding in too thick and fast and the shaking was just too strong. I had to sit down before I forgot to stand, fighting to see what was staring me in the face. Was this good or bad? I'd won the lottery, it seemed, but was the prize a lifetime in Tahiti, or getting tossed into a volcano? Or perhaps both?

A pop caught my attention and I jumped, realizing I should have hidden or destroyed the note. But it was too late to be worried about it now. There was no way I could have hidden my inner turmoil in any case. I simply stared at Al, whose eyes went to the note and narrowed dangerously. Yup. Caught.

I handed the note to him, demanding, "Is this true?" It wasn't that I didn't believe Rachel, but something this outrageous needed to be confirmed.

He looked down and perused the note thoughtfully. He sighed. "Well, now, the cat's out of the bag," he said, then smiled a little. "_Don't let Al know_. Ha! There's my itchy witch for you." He crumpled up the note and folded his arms across his chest, expression unreadable.

"Is it _true_?" I asked again, hating how my voice sounded. It was rough and low, trembling with my fear and anger.

"It is. Surprise," he said drily.

I pointed to the mark that branded me as Al's witch. "And you want to make me your familiar. Your slave! Your own kind! _How could you_?" One more thing registered: Al had marked me without my permission, and I wanted it gone. I hadn't agreed to that. And apparently my willingness_ mattered_ somehow. How much?

"There is quite a lot about demon culture that would surprise you, I'm sure," he said, unmoved and unamused.

I narrowed my eyes, deciding to push the matter, even if he smacked me. "Take your slimy mark off of me. I didn't agree to it. I don't want it."

Al looked at me curiously. "You just found out you're a fledgling demon, and you're whining about a mark? Not _quite_ the reaction I would have expected. The mark is necessary for your own bloody protection. Without it, Newt could waltz in here and cart you home and we'd have no legal recourse. You don't want that, and neither do I."

I folded my arms and glared, but he had a point, I supposed. He _had_ vowed to keep me safe until the trial. It made a twisted kind of sense. Fucking demons.

"Come along. Still so much to get done," he said, taking my arm in a firm grip. "Chop chop!"

"Get your hands off of me, Al," I hissed at him, furiously trying to pull away. Though I had to admit a lot of my fury was at Ash, for the way he'd played me and then put me here under Al's tender loving care, I was still plenty peeved at Al, too. "And take this fucking charmed silver off of me!"

Al's expression didn't change a jot as he casually slammed me against the wall, and I finally understood what the expression "seeing stars" meant. I saw them. OW, did I see them. It took me a second to focus back on his narrowed eyes, between the tweeting birds orbiting my head and the pain in my skull.

"You're forgetting your place, love. You are in no position to make any demands of me," he reminded me quietly, his cultured voice low and dangerous. "You'll wear that bracelet as long as you are in my domain. And you will continue as you have done, twisting my curses and—"

"And being your smut-rag? No! Stop dumping your slime on me. You have no right!" So help me, I couldn't stop myself. I was pissed to the ends of the Ever After and I didn't care that he could crush me with one hand.

"I beg to differ," he replied silkily. "I have _every_ right. Including several I haven't taken advantage of, yet." He ran a suggestive hand up my side, but I refused to react beyond a slight involuntary stiffening. I wasn't sure if I even believed he was serious now. This was Algaliarept, after all. If he wanted something, he took it. Either he didn't want it, or he couldn't have it.

"I'm _not _your familiar!" I insisted angrily. "I'll twist your fucking curses because I_ want_ to learn them, and I'll make myself useful because I am your _guest_, but stop stinking up my soul with your smut!"

Al's eyes were wide with surprise and annoyance, but now it was tempered with amusement. "Oh, _really_?" he asked. He looked like he wanted to laugh.

I realized I what I was saying, and wanted to kick myself more than him. _Make my role less humiliating and I'll cooperate? Shit. Where had that come from? _I felt the wind go out of my sails. "Just knock it off. You're only doing it to piss off Ash."

"No, I'm doing it to annoy_ you_. And because Pierce is just as opinionated about it and rather more violent, and makes such a mess whenever I have to beat him. And because I _can_. Pissing off Ash is just a bonus. Really, Evie, you're kicking up such a fuss about the most insignificant little things. Marks and smut." He shook his head in amusement. "Given what potential fates lie before you? You're worried about marks and smut?"

I kept glaring at him, though the fire was gone. Crap. I really was still powerless, wasn't I? And, apparently, nothing about my situation had really changed- I was still up shit creek. This sucked.

"That's better, love. Now we'd best be getting back to work. Rachel is undoubtedly convinced that I'm doing something evil to you."

"Well, to be fair, you _are_," I said, as he released me and I rubbed the new lump on the back of my skull, wincing. Now I'd have a headache for the rest of the day.

"Something _more_ evil than the usual," he amended with a wicked smile. "Come along and behave, or she'll be right. We'll just play nice until she leaves. Then we can have a nice long _chat_."


	21. Comic Relief

_Poor Pierce. How I love to torture him. Thought things were getting a little too dark, so it's time to inject a little levity…*wicked grin*_

**In Which Pierce Removes His Pants **

Rachel and Pierce had been conversing with their heads together, and popped apart when Al and I reappeared, both looking self-conscious. At least, it looked like they'd been conversing. Given their guarded, _nothing-happening-here _expressions, it might have been more than simple_ talk_. I glanced at Al and saw just the barest hint of a twitch in the corner of his eye. Aha! I knew it!

Al dragged me back over to the table where Rachel sat, casually dropping the crumpled note into her spellpot as he passed. It suddenly bubbled over and she shrieked, trying to salvage what she could before the orange goo could crawl off the table and start eating through the marble. Frantically mopping the mess with a horrible old flowered towel, she knocked over one of the candles. She gave another cry of surprise when the towel burst into flames.

Pierce darted over, knocked the towel onto the floor, and began stomping on the offending fabric. The flames then turned a sickly green and began to writhe about his pant legs. He said a word of Latin to douse the flames, but whatever he'd tried didn't work, and finally Rachel resorted to helping him yank his trousers off and toss them into the central fireplace- where they exploded. Pierce flushed a fierce red and grabbed the twin of the awful flowered towel from the table, wrapping it about his waist to cover his archaic undergarments.

Al was laughing hysterically as he watched these antics. I'm embarrassed to admit that I couldn't hide a smile as well, as I imagined all of the jokes about hot and/or exploding trousers poor Pierce would have to endure now.

"Al!" Rachel cried, exasperated. "Damn it, you ruined it! It was just starting to boil, too! I'm gonna...um..." She trailed off, because Al had stopped his guffawing and was staring her down with an expression that said _you are in a heap of trouble, young lady_. "How'd you guess?" she asked meekly.

Al rolled his eyes and fixed her with a patronizing look over his smoked glasses. "Itchy witch, you are as predictable as the tides. And about as subtle. I've trained defiant familiars for five thousand years! You _really_ think I don't know exactly what's going through your heads while you're busy pretending to be all submissive?" He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist so he could give me a good groping and make me squirm. "Give me a little credit- I know when a woman's faking it."

Rachel made an irritated noise. "Knock it off, Al. It was _my_ idea, don't take it out on her."

Al tsk'd and his hand trailed down my arm, raising my wrist to his lips. "_She_ showed you first. Do you think I'm not _intimately_ familiar with the luscious scent and taste of your blood, Rachel?" he said, and darned if she didn't blush. I realized he had the hand with my pricked finger. Ah, yes, the gig was definitely up. He licked the wounded finger, then bit it to make it bleed more.

"OW!" I winced, because he'd sprouted fangs for the job. He sucked on my finger like it was a yummy lollipop, watching Rachel and making a little satisfied exaggerated groan of bliss. Rachel looked disgusted. My eyes widened as he did something really erotic with his tongue and triggered the mark at the same time. Damn it! I struggled to stand as my knees went weak with sudden pleasure, utterly mortified to hear the gasping whimper that involuntarily escaped me. "Q-quit it!" I stammered, outraged and humiliated both. God, did he have to do this in front of them?

I was surprised when Al froze and the zinging sensations died suddenly, as if he were actually complying. Not likely. Al looked at the blood on my smarting finger, smelled its scent, and tasted it again without the dramatics this time. He released me and stared at me for a long moment, expression very serious.

"What is it, Al?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Back in a tick, itchy witch. Don't touch anything while I'm gone. I mean it!" Al disappeared abruptly.

The three of us stared at each other in confusion, and Pierce jumped out of the room shortly after, presumably to replace his trousers.

"I guess that means I can talk to you now?" Rachel said.

"Guess so…Is it really true?" I demanded, brushing off the last of the shivery sensations that creep had raised in me. Damn it, I was already one demon's toy, I was not going to let Al manipulate me like that as well! "We're not just weird mutant witches, we're really demons?"

"It's sort of both," Rachel said. "Who fixed_ you_?"

"Fixed me?" I realized she was talking about the genetic disease. Rosewood. "Nobody. My mom survived it long enough to have me, but I never had it."

Rachel blinked and let out a low whistle. "Wow. I'm not really a full demon, I'm kind of...most of the way there. My kids will be, though. And if your mom survived it, then you're the real deal. The first full female demon since Newt killed them all."


	22. Demon Sex Tips

**In Which** **Off-Color Topics are Discussed**

"Ridiculous," I said, still unable to make the leap, though I knew she couldn't be lying- who would lie about something like this? "It's completely insane. I believe you, but it's crazy. Why don't I have the psycho goat-eyes, or horns and a tail?"

Rachel shrugged. "They're all crazy old, maybe that's just what happens when you live on magic for five thousand years? I've never seen what anyone really looks like here, they're all under eighteen layers of disguises and charms and curses. But given what I know, about witches being their children, I just assume they look normal. Human, I mean. Otherwise why would witches look normal, too?"

I nodded- that made sense. I asked her to elaborate on the elven curse business, and she told me all she knew about the demon-elf wars, the origin of the Ever After, and the mutual curses each race had landed on the others' children. "A pretty nasty strategy, if you ask me," she commented. "And in case you wondered, there are still plenty of elves around. And they'd be very happy to kill you if they ever find out what you are, so watch out for them."

"They didn't all die out during the Turn?"

Rachel launched into another tirade about the elves and how they apparently either drove Newt insane, or drove all the demon women insane, and thus there were none left, and what scary bastards elves could be. I got the impression she was talking about one elf in particular, and wondered who it was.

"So it was the elves that made the witches and killed the women. And Al and Ash are out to control the only two non-crazy women left. It explains a lot about what's been going on..." I trailed off thoughtfully.

"What _has_ been going on?" Rachel asked. "How'd you get stuck here?" She turned as Pierce popped back in, decent once again and looking surly.

"Ash didn't catch me, not really. He and Al were sent to kill me, but I made a deal with him to help me fake my death. He was supposed to blip us here and then to another location in reality, but he decided to pick Australia, so I ended up stuck here with him for thirteen hours until the fucking sun came up."

"Ouch," Rachel commented. "So why are you still here?

"Well, then he said he could just dump me naked in a desert somewhere without breaking the agreement, so I had to bargain again-"

Rachel blinked. "Why naked?"

I felt my face burn. "Well. Um. My clothes were...um...kinda ripped up at that point."

Rachel looked horrified and angry, and Pierce made an outraged noise. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

I wasn't sure which was worse, having them think I'd been raped by Ash, or learning I hadn't. "No, it wasn't like that. He...um...it was sort of…consensual." I mumbled the last word, still blushing furiously.

"Oh," Rachel said. She and Pierce looked rather shocked.

"He, uh…did this...ley line... thing," I tried to explain, sheepishly, and Rachel and Pierce looked at each other knowingly.

"Yeah, OK, that's hard to resist," Rachel said, grinning. Pierce was now looking innocently at the ceiling.

"You too? You and...and _Al_?"

"Oh, GOD, no!" she sputtered, and looked at Pierce again. Pierce grinned.

"Aha, I rather suspected something was up with you two...but where'd _you_ learn it?" I asked Pierce, then wished I hadn't. Where else would a familiar learn demonic ley line sex techniques? "Oh, geez, I'm sorry, never mind," I said quickly.

Pierce looked horrified. "Not from the hellspawn, if that's your intimation!" he protested vehemently, and Rachel giggled, making an _ew_ face.

I couldn't believe I was sitting in Al's kitchen talking about demon sex. "ANYWAY, he knew I could do the demon magic thing, so he got me to agree to three days a week as his student. Then Al had to go and get him arrested."

"What for?"

"Al claims Ash broke a summoning agreement."

Rachel winced. "Wow. Did he?"

"I really can't talk about it."

"Well, if he did, you get a genie!"

"But I don't want a damned genie, I want to get back to reality! Of course, I don't have a penny to my name at the moment, since I've rather effectively faked my own death. Not to mention that it's looking less and less like I'll get back to reality at all, so perhaps it wasn't even_ faked_," I finished grimly. "If Al wins his case, he gets Ash's stuff. Which apparently includes me. And Al is probably going to sell me to Newt so she doesn't keep trying to get _you_."

Rachel sighed. "I really wish I could help you," she said. "If you get out...you could stay with us for a bit until you find your feet. If you don't mind living with a bevy of pixies, an anal-retentive vampire, and an ex-ghost, that is. "

"Thanks," I said softly, meaning it. I was dead to everyone I knew, and Rachel was the only person I'd ever be able to chat with about all of the insane stuff that went with being mixed up in the demon world.

"Where'd Al go, do you think?" she asked, looking around expectantly.

"From his grim expression, I opine his taste of Evie's blood sent him off to check his facts. I imagine the rules might be a mite different for a true-blood...perhaps he overstepped his bounds in treating you so shamefully," Pierce guessed.

"I expect I'll be the last to know," I replied wryly. "I wish demons had an internet...I'd love to do some digging around for information on their legal system..."

"Al has a library," Rachel said, thinking. "But he's not a lawyer, he's all about the familiars and flashy magic. And one of the books bit me when I tried to open it, so I kinda stay out of there when he's not around."

"I will nip out and take a look," Pierce offered. "Won't take but a moment!"

"Wait!" Rachel said, but Pierce had already gone. "Damn it! He's always running off half-cocked, and if Al finds out he's poking around where he shouldn't be, I'm the one who'll be cleaning up the mess."

"Have you two been together long?" I asked, not wanting to think about the demon stuff for a little while. I hadn't had a normal conversation about mundane things in...geez, years.

"Awhile now...we hooked up just before I met you." She poked at her spell supplies, and I could tell she was pissed that she'd have to start entirely over. It was a complicated curse he had her twisting, and I'd probably have to finish it for her after she left. "He's fun. He can be overbearing and irritating as hell, and half the time he's the one getting me into the trouble he's getting me out of. But he can hold his own against the demons, the Coven, the vampires, the weres, and anyone else who's trying to kill us."

Since Al was gone and she was under orders not to touch anything, she told me a lot more of her story- how she met Pierce as a teenager when he was just a ghost, how she'd met Al, how he'd tried to make her a familiar and failed, how Al had captured Pierce and reanimated him after they'd made a deal.

"And part of the reason he became Al's familiar was to be close to me. Hard to just write off a guy who will sacrifice that much on your behalf, even if he's a total idiot for doing it!"

"Especially if he's creative with the ley lines," I guessed, and she grinned.

"Well, there's that, too." She eyed me a moment before asking hesitantly with a little suppressed smile, "Was it...was it OK? You don't have to answer but I've always wondered..."

I felt my face burn again. "Oh yeah. It was. More than OK. I'll give the guy credit for that, at least...though I imagine having, what, five thousand years of experience helps a little, too." I looked at her curiously. "Have you ever fantasized about Al?"

Rachel's lips parted a little and she looked around the room, as if reassuring herself that nobody was there to hear her. "Well, one time I-" Then she blinked and stared over my shoulder with a horrified look.

"Please, don't let _me_ interrupt," came Al's silky voice from behind me. "I'm eager to know the answer to that myself."


	23. Rachel is So Totally Lying

_Oh, come on, Rachel. You know you do. We all do. _

**In Which Al Most Suspiciously Turns On the Charm**

"One time I _nearly threw up thinking about it!_" she finished firmly.

Al just chuckled knowingly. "How about_ you_, my lovely Yvette?" he purred in my ear, making me jump. "Ash's experience is nothing to mine. Come to me tonight, and learn what a true master of the art can do for you." He bit my neck lightly, his warm tongue darting out for a taste.

"Ew! Get off! Try it and I will kick you so hard you'll be coughing up your own testicles for a week!" I growled, wiggling away.

"Such language!" Al said, sounding shocked. Then he sighed melodramatically. "It's a sorry state of affairs in my household, I'm afraid. Too many damned witches with souls and bloody opinions running around, and nobody to tuck me in at night. I miss my Ceri. She never complained. At least, not after the first century or so."

"You see, every time I consider even _possibly_ adding him to my fantasy list, he says something like that, and I have to keep from chucking a boot at him," Rachel explained with a grimace.

"Oh, is_ that_ the problem, my itchy witch? And here I thought it was because I just hadn't found the right flavor of cake yet."

Rachel groaned. "Al, you're pretty and all, but every time you open your big mouth it's like a refreshing cold shower."

Al looked pleased as punch at the "pretty" compliment. I wondered if there was another story involving demons and baked goods here. I knew Al had just as big a sweet tooth as Ash. They all did. It's a wonder they had any teeth left after five thousand years. "Fascinating as this topic of conversation is, I believe we still have work to do before sunset," Al said. "Evie, get to work on that transfer medium. You'll be happy to know it's not for you. This time," he added jovially, peering over his glasses at us, clearly in a fine mood.

"I don't like this," Rachel said, not bothering to keep her voice down. What was the point? Al would hear us even if we whispered. "He's too happy. He's plotting something new."

"Yeah," I said, as apparently the instructions to not speak to Rachel were still no longer in effect. "I only see that grin when he's about to screw someone over. I hope it's Ash. But it's probably me. He_ likes_ you."

Rachel snorted. "That would never stop him from screwing me over anyway," she replied. Al's grin widened as he strutted around the room like a big green velvet peacock, boots echoing on the marble floor.

Al was absolutely charming for the next twelve hours that Rachel spent trying to re-stir her spell. And by "charming" I mean that not only did he refrain from smacking either of us, but he was attentive and helpful. And actually, really funny, though his sense of humor was as always on the crude side. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was deliberately flirting with both of us.

Maybe it was intended to piss off Pierce, because that certainly worked. I don't think the man cracked a smile even once, even when Rachel and I were laughing helplessly at one of Al's stories. And man, did Al know how to tell a story.

But I couldn't figure out why _I_ was included in the act. I dared to let myself enjoy the evening, considering that I had no idea whether I would ever laugh again. The mood in the spell kitchen was far from the somber, tense mood it had been when Rachel had first arrived. I could have done without all the little zings and tingles from my mark, or the pecks on the cheek, or the fingers through the hair that he managed to work in every chance he got close, but it was better than the smacks upside the head I'd been getting from Al lately. He even took care of the headache, trying to turn it into a shoulder rub before I shied away from him with annoyance and told him to knock it off.

So that's how I knew I was really in trouble. I just wasn't sure _how_. But if I've learned one thing from my dealings with Ash, it's this: never, _ever_ trust a grinning demon. Especially one who's being _nice_.


	24. The Offer Is Repeated

**In Which There Occurs an Unexpectedly Civil Fireside Chat with Tea  
**

As the hour of Rachel's departure drew near, I grew more and more anxious. I helped Rachel finish her spell, completed the transfer medium and the half-dozen other random curses Al wanted, and retreated to Ceri's room when they'd left. There, I found the book Pierce had left for me to peruse, and tucked it under the little bed to delay Al's finding it. And waited, pacing, for the other shoe to drop. Or for Al to whack me with his boot, more likely.

Sure enough, he reappeared looking very satisfied indeed, scaring the life out of me even though I'd been expecting him. "Geez, Al, haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"Time for our chat, Evie," he said, grinning like the devil he was.

"When you say "chat", you do mean _talking_, right?" I asked.

Al just smiled and took my arm. I knew better than to resist. Where would I run?

Al jumped us to a room I hadn't seen before- obviously his library, given the sheer quantity of books crammed on the groaning wooden shelves. He sat me on the couch near the fire at the far end, removed his ubiquitous green frock coat and gloves, and busied himself making tea. I was rather floored by this, having expected more threats. I looked around, sensing that once again, my life was about to take a turn for the totally surreal.

"This is….cozy," I said finally, breaking the silence. Al handed me a cup of something that smelled of black tea, bergamot and burnt amber. _Ew_. I sipped it to be polite, wondering if he'd slipped something into it that would mess me up. But why would he? He had a demon mark for fucking with my head, why would he need drugs?

Al didn't immediately reply, sitting near me and sipping his own tea, contemplating me thoughtfully. I felt small under his red goat-eyed gaze, but returned it steadily. Waiting. He'd tell me what he was up to in his own good time.

"The trial is in a day and a half," he said finally. "Have you changed your mind?"

"About cooperating with you and telling the truth up on the stand?" I asked, and he nodded. "No, Al. I haven't. I'm not breaking a deal. Not when I have no idea what will happen to me."

"I've told you what will happen if you don't," he said, frowning.

"And that's…worse? Al, if the penalty for one of _you _is getting turned into a genie in a bottle for breaking a promise, then what's the penalty for a mortal? I really, really,_ really_ don't want to find out."

Al inclined his head a little. "A valid point," he said finally. He took another sip. "I spoke to Ash today."

"Really?" I couldn't hide my interest. "And…?"

"He's angrier than I've ever seen him, and take it from me, Ash isn't nice when he's angry. There's a reason the name _Ashmedai_ means _demon of wrath_."

"He blames me, doesn't he." It wasn't a question. Of course he would.

"Both of us, love. You for putting him in this position, me for taking advantage of it."

I shrugged. "He could have just let me go."

Al waved that off with a gloved hand. "Of course he couldn't. _I _wouldn't have. Had it been me…" he trailed off. "I wonder what _I_ would have done to keep you." His eyes were still fixed on me, and it was really disconcerting. This was a serious side of Al I'd never seen before. I knew he didn't like me, but he'd never spoken to me like this, not like I was a real person or something. I thought about what he'd done to keep Rachel. He'd lost just about everything. Just like Ash was about to do- except now Ash had lost me, as well.

"Al…what do you want? Could you try being honest, here? Please? It might make a difference to my answer. Why do you need my cooperation when you could just force it out of my head?"

"I want you to ally yourself with me," he said softly. "We need not be enemies any longer, Yvette Therese Sinclaire. You've observed how Rachel and I can work together. Believe me, there was far more animosity to overcome between Rachel and I, and yet here we are. I can teach you to survive here among us, if you would but _trust_ me."

_I want you to choose me,_ Ash's voice whispered in my memory.

That still wasn't an answer. I gave Al a look that clearly said I was more than a little skeptical of his abrupt about-face, considering he'd just learned my real heritage. "We should settle the matter without a trial," he said earnestly. "It's in everyone's best interest, including yours. If you agree to cooperate, we can go to Dali tonight and call the whole thing off."

"You said that before. And you never answered me: what happens when I break my vow to Ash?"

Al looked at me with an inscrutable expression. "What if I told you that there would be no consequences whatsoever?"

_Would you betray me, Evie?_

My heart gave an uncomfortable squirm. What did I owe Ash, anyway? He'd nearly killed me, tried to suck out my soul. He'd lied to me. Humiliated me. "I'm not sure I'd believe you, Al. Besides, you heard us make the deal. I promised."

"You promised silence in exchange for something he can't give you. He has broken a second contract with you."

I blinked. I hadn't considered that. "Even if it wasn't his own doing?"

"It _was_ his own doing. He broke the rules and got himself arrested. It's his fault he cannot now fulfill his obligations. And you are free of your promise to him, under demon law. There is nothing barring your testimony."

_You took my imbalance. You wear my mark. You're mine_.

I let my own gaze fall to my teacup. I was in a world where the only sureties were that someone was always trying to screw you over, and the only stable handholds were promises made and contracts signed. Break one, and the whole system fell apart. Trust was a liability, respect only grudgingly given to the strong, the cunning.

"Morality might be dead in the Ever After, but integrity is still considered a virtue," I said softly. "And apparently this will be my home for quite some time. If I have nothing else to my name, here, at least I won't be known as someone who betrayed my demon."

My demon.

_You wear my mark, too. You took it willingly. You're_ _mine_.

My own words this time. I blinked. Ash really was my demon, wasn't he? I'd claimed him, marked him, made him admit it. And he _had_ admitted it, accepted it, gotten angry when he thought I was renouncing him.

If marks meant ownership...and if I were also a demon...then I owned him just as much as he owned me.


	25. Ash Is So Screwed

**In Which Evie Contemplates The Meaning of Marks**

I raised my eyes to Al, my eyes wide with shock. Did he know about that? Did anyone know about that?

"What is it?" Al asked curiously.

"I'm not sure…" I stalled, thinking furiously. "Just…something Ash said once…." Al waited, but I didn't elaborate.

I'd marked him, long ago- the night he'd made the promise, before he broke it. It was a real mark. I knew it instinctively, I had tried to give him pleasure through it, had ended up searing his soul through it when he attacked me.

If someone took off the silver band, I could prove it. Even in a demon courtroom.

What could I do with this? Would it help me? Would it help Ash? Did I have any obligation or desire to help Ash? I was still lost in thought when Al asked gently, "Is integrity worth losing everything, Yvette Therese Sinclaire?"

"I've already_ lost _everything," I replied. "You're offering me a false hope, Al, and no amount of flirting and bribery and threats can make it real. Which is a shame. Because I would've loved to be your student."

Al sat up, taken aback. "Indeed?"

I nodded, thinking that I would set the whole mark/ownership thing aside for now and let it percolate through my brain later. I'd be careful not to let it slip out. I had no idea how it would benefit me, but I was instinctively certain Al would be absolutely furious if he knew. So I would flatter the hell out of him and try to get him off my case about Ash. It wasn't like Al would lose the case if I didn't cooperate- they'd just drag the truth out of my head anyway. Why he wanted me willing was still something I couldn't figure out, and was determined to try to pry out of him. "Yes. Ash never got around to actually teaching me anything, but I've learned a ton from you this week."

Al was looking at me in bewilderment. "I was trying to make your life as wretched as I could, given the limitations I was under. You're telling me not only did I fail miserably at frightening you into cooperating, but that you actually enjoyed yourself?"

I waved that off, trying to hide a smile. "You should have had me scrubbing floors or sorting peas, then, because this week has been fascinating. And you're no grumpier than my thesis advisor. Though he never smacked me around, I'll grant him that. Or muddied up my soul," I added with a frown.

"I must be losing my touch. Rachel's not afraid of me anymore either. How embarrassing." Al studied his teacup thoughtfully, turning it around and around in his hands. "You'd willingly be my student if you could?"

I realized that I wasn't actually lying. If I had to live here, if I had to be a demon, then I was damn well going to be one- magically, at least. I would do without the slaves and the evil and red eyes and all. It was apparently in my blood, and I was an academic at heart. There wasn't a puzzle I wouldn't want to solve, and to be suddenly expose to an entirely new branch of powerful magic? Oh hell, yes, I was going to learn it all, smut or not. "Yes. Assuming you were sincere in wanting to teach me. But I'm _not_ screwing over Ash to do it."

Al pursed his lips as he thought that over. "You _would_ make an excellent student," he said thoughtfully, almost to himself. I felt a flush of pride sweep over me. Darn straight! It was the first nice thing Al had ever said to me. Which immediately made me mistrust it. I mistrusted this entire conversation. I trusted Al even less than I trusted Ash, though when it came down to it, I had no idea why. Al had kept all his bargains with Rachel, hadn't he?

I sighed and mentally prepared myself for whatever smackdown awaited my refusal- Al was so mercurial that he could turn on me at any moment. Perhaps that was why I didn't trust him. I looked down at the single slash over my heart, traced it with a finger. Ash's semicircular mark lingered under it, bisected neatly by Al's. Was it still active? I felt it give a pulse of heat and jerked up to see Al watching me with a crooked smile.

"Al…would you tell me exactly what this means?" I asked suddenly, pointing to the demon mark over my heart. "You marked me, you keep saying you own me. If I were a real demon, with real status…what would it mean?"

"You _are_ a real demon," he said, and hesitated. "It was unwillingly taken, so it has little significance- apart from giving me legal rights and responsibilities.

"And…and if I'd let you? If I took it willingly…?" I asked, heart pounding. "Do demons ever do that? Without a favor? Sort of a...truce, or a show of trust?"

"We don't. Not to each other, not anymore. It's too dangerous a bond." His eyes went distant. "Except for Newt and her familiars. I wouldn't call them exactly willing, though." His eyes focused on me again. "Speaking of which, I should mention that Ash is slated for the position next."

"Really?" I wondered how Ash was taking the news. "That's not good, is it?"

"No. They never survive longer than a few centuries. Minias only lasted about a hundred and eighty odd years, and she_ liked_ him. She _doesn't_ like Ash. It's a death sentence."

"I thought…I thought he would be given to me," I said, confused. "Wasn't that what you said?"

"That's the standard punishment, yes. But Newt decides the punishments, so she can take him if she wants. She _really_ doesn't like it when a man breaks a contract. She's a little sensitive about that, if you haven't guessed- as she should be, having spent the last fifty or so centuries being manipulated, screwed, and jerked around by the rest of us."

"Swell." I took another sip of tea. It was as cold as my heart felt at the moment, but Al wordlessly warmed it up with a gesture. "I wish I could say it served him right. But Newt is fucking scary."

"It bothers you?" he asked. "That Ash will be degraded to the post of familiar, and eventually killed by Newt?"

"Yes! It bothers me!" I said. "It'd bother me to hear about that happening to anyone! Even you, you green toad! I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Al made a face. "Toad! I'm trying to be civil here, you little _canicula_," he said without heat. "I really don't understand your loyalty to him. And I'm making my final offer. Come to me. Stay here with me willingly, as my apprentice, and I will teach you whatever you wish."

_Then promise to stay here with me as my student indefinitely, and I will tell you anything you want to know. _

"I will teach you to survive among us," he continued coaxingly. "You'll be safe, safe from Newt and anyone else who wants to exploit you."

"Except you," I pointed out.

"Better the devil you know," he said, raising his teacup and smiling. "And there's something else, too." He put a finger to his nose, and beckoned me closer as if to impart a secret. I gave him a skeptical look, then leaned in to humor him.

Whatever he wanted, Ash had wanted the same thing. The pattern fit. Given everything else he'd said tonight, I should've seen it coming. Instead of whispering in my ear, he turned my chin and kissed me.


	26. and So's Evie

_Trigger alert: there is juuuust a hint of noncon in this chapter, but it's pretty mild. Don't worry, Evie's up to the challenge. At least she thinks she is.  
_

**In Which Al Reveals At Least One Of His Ulterior Motives**

If he'd jumped on me, pinned me, or used force in any way, I could have resisted. But he didn't. He simply leaned in and cupped my cheek, giving me a kiss that was gentle, but with the tension of a coiled spring behind it. I was startled beyond measure, and didn't immediately pull away, and that was probably my downfall.

My mark gave another pulse, not the overt waves of sexual bliss he'd flooded me with earlier, but a warm, honeyed ripple of….well, it was hard to define, really, sort of relaxing, comforting, and utterly arousing at the same time. I caught my breath as his tongue slipped past my lips to explore, and I realized that his hands were no longer covered with the white gloves. They were warm, slightly calloused, and the hand that wasn't twining into my hair was now trailing lightly down my back, a feathery touch that raised even more sensations than a firm caress.

"_By wit…by guile_," he whispered between kisses, and I realized he spoke Latin. "_By strength…by cunning, I hold you." _His words had that ritualistic flavor to them, and I felt them burning into my mind. It wasn't magic. It wasn't a charm, there was no ley line power behind it.

_Move, Evie! This is AL kissing you. Get a grip! Move!_ I made a surprised noise and he pulled back just enough that I could focus on his alien eyes. They were dark with amusement and lust, but he slipped a finger against my lips to stall my protest. "A taste only, Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he murmured. "Don't be afraid."

I wanted to protest but the words just weren't there. He returned to his slow seduction of my lips, as I sat stock still with heart pounding and scar pulsing, unable to think and hardly able to breathe. My halfhearted attempt to pull away failed and instead allowed him to pull me in closer. My mark gave another pulse of that sensual, relaxed arousal and I gasped against his lips, feeling my body starting to melt against him. I could have struggled harder, and I knew it, and it was the knowledge that I wasn't doing it that kept me confused, off balance.

"_With silver I tame you_," he whispered again, and my head spun with confusion. Was he playing on my mark? Was he messing with my head? Was he putting out crazy demon pheromones? Or was it simply that I secretly found him as dangerous and intoxicating as Ash, and wanted this? "_With my mark I bind you."_

My hands involuntarily traveled to his broad shoulders, to his dark hair as he deepened the kiss, teasing and tasting and holding me with only the barest amount of firmness. He growled with pleasure at his success, and a wave of real arousal shot through me. And it hadn't come from the mark, that time.

He took a firm grip on my hips and pulled me to him, then lifted me so I straddled him. I paused to stare at him breathlessly with parted lips, surprised that he would put me in the position of power instead of pinning me beneath him. That thought excited me even more, and a moan of pleasure fell from my lips as I settled against his body, feeling his erection pressing into me and the warmth of his arms wrapped around me.

"_Our scents entwine_," he murmured, almost inaudibly. "_Our breaths mingle, our souls….dance_." His caresses began to intensify, his mouth became more demanding, and I was responding in kind despite myself. I couldn't help it- his scent surrounded me, hints of bay, lavender, and bergamot swirling within his own seductive, promising darkness.

I tossed back my head as he turned his attentions to my neck, holding back his hunger to nip and taste lightly. I arched to meet him, wanting something stronger and more dangerous than these teasing, fleeting touches, and he made a sound that was half chuckle, half groan. "Slowly, pet, slowly…we have all the time in the world."

But he gasped a little as I slowly rocked my hips against the hard bulge of his erection, now feeling completely powerless against whatever spell had come over me. His or mine, I didn't care. His teeth closed on the soft skin of my neck, gently at first, then harder when I encouraged it with a soft whimper. His hands suddenly gripped my shoulders tighter, and now the mark sent a wave of wild, sharp, erotic magic through me that touched me so deeply that I shuddered and cried out. It was gone in a flash, replaced by more waves of heat rippling over my skin, each stronger than the last.

His hips moved against mine as his mouth explored the soft skin of my neck, the curve of my shoulders. My fingers were tangled in his soft dark hair, my panting breaths urging him on. Finally, _finally_, he reached his scar. He teased me for a long moment, sending little tingles of ley line power through me, heart to groin, with each flick of his warm tongue. I writhed against him without thought or inhibition, lost in the exquisite, slow sensations he was building to a crescendo in me. Had I been able, I would have tried to imitate the communing he was doing with the line, or perhaps reached into his chi and pulled, but again the damned bracelet held me in check.

He pulled away suddenly, and I groaned with disappointment, looking back down at his face. He held himself back with effort. I realized that he'd intended to simply get me all hot and bothered, but when he opened his demon-red eyes and locked smouldering gazes with me, I saw that he, like Ash, had fallen into his own trap. I could get up, now, and it would leave him as unfulfilled as I was, and it would serve him right. I should get up, damn it. I _would_ get up!

"Don't stop," the demon woman in me whispered, probably as much to his surprise as mine.

…or not.

Once again our lips met, only it was I who initiated it this time, taking what I wanted from him and pushing him back against the cushions. I heard his faint sound of surprise as I took charge, sending my tongue hungrily into his mouth, threading my hands under his shirt. He groaned and let me taste him, explore the hard, firm muscles of his smooth chest. His hands clenched on my ribs, encouraging my slow rise and fall against him. He said a word in a language I didn't know, in a somewhat dazed and wondering voice, as I began to tease the soft skin of his neck. He flung his head back to allow it, eyes closed with bliss.

Al being Al, he didn't let me drive for very long. He began to pant through clenched teeth as he pulled himself back under control. He pushed himself up and ground his pelvis against me, his teeth fastening painfully on my neck as if he wanted nothing more than to tear my throat out. I whimpered with desire as even the pain of it turned to pleasure. He drew teeth down my neck to the scar, mirroring the sharp sensations with fingernails down my shoulders and back, and as I arched against him in pleasure, he bit me, sinking suddenly sharp teeth into his mark. I screamed with the sudden shock of mingled pain and ecstasy, as he worked the mark to fiery life and I came almost instantly. It lasted for many long seconds as he lapped greedily at the wounds he'd made. I shuddered and cried out again and again, finally coming down when he drew back, his eyes closed and his breathing uneven. His hands shook as they held me steady, and his nostrils flared as he took in the mingled scents of our arousal.

"Al-" I said, but he captured my gaze and I caught my breath. His expression was unreadable, but there was a deep disquiet around his eyes, as if he really hadn't intended things to go this far. And from the look- and feel- of him, he was very interested in taking it much farther still.

What he might have said was lost when a loud pop broke the spell. Oh God. It was Pierce, his back to us as he replaced a book into the shelves. But not for long- the man sensed us, whirled around, took one look at us and vanished almost instantly, leaving behind a faint sense of lingering horror and embarrassment.

"Oh, _shit_," I murmured, suddenly mortified. Pierce's appearance had about the same effect as a bucket of seawater on my libido, and I realized that I'd spent the last few minutes practically begging Algaliarept to fuck me. "Al, what the _hell _did you just do to me?"

He cleared his throat. "More than I intended," he admitted, though he made no move to let me up.

"_I bind you with the mark? Our souls dance? _ What was all that shit? What did all of that even mean?" I accused, suddenly fiercely angry. "You…you put some kind of charm on me!"

"Nonsense," Al said smugly, brushing his lips over the mark again so that I shivered. "Shall I continue?"

"You were fucking with my head!" It had to be something not-me that would account for the last few minutes, or I'd go nuts. "You spiked my tea!"

"Oh, do hush," he said, thoroughly enjoying my anger. "I did nothing of the kind. I simply know a few tricks to…shall we say…encourage a demon woman. I've not had a chance to use then in over five thousand years. But I don't think I'm too rusty, wouldn't you agree?"

"You arrogant, dirty son of a bitch," I hissed, gritting my teeth. First Ash, now Al. Could every fucking demon in the Ever After do this to me with a few well-turned phrases? Or just the ones who had a mark on me? Fuck this! I'd have to buy myself a god damned chastity belt. I was NOT going to let myself do this again. And if there was ever a place one could find a good old-fashioned medieval chastity belt, it was the demon mall. Shit. No wonder Newt went postal, if she was subject to this kind of treatment on a regular basis. I was beginning to feel homicidal myself.

"Thank God Pierce showed up, or…oh, geez, he's going to tell Rachel," I said with a wince. "She's going to think I'm such a…"

"That was the intention, yes," Al said, amused, and I jerked back, staring at him in horror. "That book wouldn't have told you anything important, love, so I told him to put it back where he found it. I guess I forgot to mention we were here."

"_You set that up?"_ I asked angrily. The events of the evening came back, right down to the nearly subliminal eyetwitch, and had taken on an entirely new twist. "Oh. My. God. You…you're trying to make Rachel _jealous_, aren't you? That's what all the flirting was about. Jesus, Al! For fuck's sake, you're over five thousand years old, and you're acting like you're in high school!"

Al laughed heartily at my anger. I felt like such an idiot. "You should have heard Rachel scolding me when I dropped her off. She is well and truly pissed off. I expect she'll be calling me up in a few minutes to give me another blistering tirade once Pierce gets back. I can't wait."

I tried to smack him, but he caught my wrist and kissed my fingers mockingly. "Why are you surprised, love? And why do you still insist on assigning only one motive to my actions? I fully intend to seduce you tonight, if I can. Because I want to."

"And it would piss Ash off if I came to court stinking of you," I finished, rolling my eyes. "Gee, thanks _so_ much for reducing me to a fucking _tool _after that serious conversation. I don't know why I ever thought I'd want _you_ for a mentor. Forget I said all that crap. There is no way in hell you're getting me into your bed now, Al. I'm on to your little tricks!"

"…aaand that's why you're still plastered against me, wet and ready and smelling oh so deliciously fuckable?" he asked in a sensual voice, and licked the wound he'd made, as it was still trickling two thin lines of blood.

I realized I _was_. Bloody hell, he was right! I hadn't moved! I struggled away from his clinging hands before I could lose myself in the aftershocks of sensation even that simple action raised in my skin.

"If it helps your pride," he said sweetly, "it really wasn't _merely_ a plan to annoy you, Rachel, and Ash. I've wanted to put you in your place ever since you threatened me with death in Colorado. That place being under_ me_, screaming, of course."

I stood up unsteadily, trying to gather the shreds of my dignity. The man was insufferable! And yet, looking at him sitting comfortably in his ridiculous lacy pirate shirt and black buckled boots, a completely unrepentant grinning scoundrel, I found a little of my anger draining away. This was Algaliarept. What had I expected, really? This was totally something he'd do. Al worked with arrogant, cunning black witches, had a thousand ways to grind their wills down to nothing. He probably had a dozen motives behind every damned thing he did, all of them geared to intimidate, dominate, or otherwise confuse those he trained as familiars. Hell, it was probably a reflex with him by now. He probably didn't even know _how_ to be sincere anymore.

Al saw my alteration in mood and got up as well, and I shrieked in surprise as he jerked me back against him, capturing my lips again with much more possessive force than before. But now I wasn't buying it, and struggled to turn my head away. I wouldn't let him do that again. "Don't doubt that I want you, Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he said darkly against my ear, and I shivered, frightened and more. "Give me leave, and I will show you heights of passion you have never dreamed of."

I stared at him, shocked, Ash's words once again echoing in my memory. _I want you. All __of you. Damn the consequences. Give me leave. _

How _much_ did he want it? A wild idea occurred to me and I decided to take a really big gamble. So he wanted me tamed with silver and bound with a mark, eh…? _I don't think so._ I let my inner demon press herself against him, because she really was ready to get down and dirty. "Take off the charmed silver, Algaliarept," I purred at him. "Take it off and you can have me." I waited, heart racing with anticipation. Was Al also willing to damn the consequences, whatever they were? Did he trust me?

He held my gaze for several endless seconds, debating, calculating, justifying, before his eyes slid away, defeated. "No," he said.

Coward! I felt an unreasonable, irrational, almost murderous fury rise up in me then, and Al's eyes widened with shock as I grabbed his shirt with one hand, and my other shot between his legs and grabbed him right where it counted, and not gently either. "Then until you have the balls to face me without it, _don't you __**ever**__ fucking touch me again_!" I hissed at him, and shoved.

Al actually stumbled back several feet, his face momentarily frozen into an expression of total astonishment. I probably had a similar expression, because he wasn't a small demon, and I wasn't a strong woman. My momentary elation quickly turned to dread, as I realized what I'd just done. _Oooooooh, shit._


	27. Plotting and Wounded Pride

_Man, these characters really take on a life of their own. I had no idea Al was so wicked. Don't you just love the magnificent bastard? Al, stop stealing the spotlight, you big peacock, and let Ash back into the story, eh? You're pretty and all, but this story's not about you. Now stop keeping me up at night writing about you, and let me sleep._

**In Which Evie Did Not Get Away With a Simple Slap On the Wrist.**

"Mistress witch…er…demon?"

The voice was Pierce's, and he sounded quiet and calm. It was his hand that held mine, then. I struggled to open my eyes. I was so fucking cold. I shivered so much that I wanted to retch.

"Can you move?" he asked quietly, and I did try, but my body felt dipped in icewater, painful and heavy and nearly on fire with chill. My head ached with a dull, steady throb as I tried to figure out why I was curled up on a frigid stone floor. I gasped at the sharp pain in my wrist as I tried to put weight on it, and collapsed again. I was still in the library and probably had been out for some time, as the fire was nearly out and the room was getting pretty arctic by now.

"Will you allow me to lift you?" he asked, and I tried to answer, but my voice was a croak. My throat was raw, so I just nodded instead. Pierce spirited me to Ceri's room, laying me carefully on the little bed.

I coughed painfully until I could speak. "How bad?" I asked, resigned, as the memory of what had happened after slowly seeped back. Al had…not been happy with me.

"He's done worse to me,' he said reassuringly. "I think you may have a sprained or broken wrist, but you should mend easily enough." He began to clean the blood from my chin with a cool cloth. "He is a right devil, that one."

"I'll say," I said. After he'd slugged me with enough force to send me reeling into a bookshelf, he'd turned his magic on me. Al hadn't tried to steal my soul, but he'd forced enough line energy into me to make me wish he had, if only because then I wouldn't have had a body to feel with. I resolved not to listen to my inner demon woman again unless we had a very stern talking-to, because she had some pretty odd ideas about what was appropriate behavior when one was at the mercy of Al. Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing. Because she'd laughed at his rage instead of yielding to it, laughed until she passed out from the pain, mocking his impotence because he dared not face her unbound, and couldn't kill her.

I shouldn't think of this odd side of me as a separate person, but it was terribly tempting. It certainly wasn't the me I knew! I had decided to call her Therese, the dark side of my psyche that had always been lurking in the background. I shook my head again, thinking how incredibly stupid I was. She was _me_. The really, really dangerous, vicious, temperamental side of me I'd always suppressed. Thinking of her as a separate identity wouldn't help me, and given the nature of the magic that I worked with, might even have dangerous consequences. Still…it was a lot easier to deal with the latest event as Al messing with _Therese's_ head rather than my own. _I_ was certainly not stupid enough to fall prey to such obvious machinations, damn it!

"Rachel sent me back to check on you," he said. "We feared you were not as willing as you appeared. Your eyes…" he trailed off.

"The son of a bitch jinxed me, I swear!" I spat angrily. "Tell Rachel to never, ever accept anything silver from Al, and that if he ever starts going on about marks and scents entwining and souls dancing, she should kick him where it counts and get the hell out of Dodge. Seriously, there's something about how he said it that just…set me off." I groaned as he cleaned the cut on my lip where Al had gotten me, amazed that I still had an intact jaw, let alone all my teeth.

Pierce's handsome face was dark with worry and anger. "I'll warn her,' he said. I found it odd that his accent seemed to come and go. "Will you tell me what happened?"

I was still smarting from the humiliation, and grimaced at him in annoyance, wincing as it stretched my lip. "He tried to seduce me, wasn't that obvious? And it was all him, despite what it must have looked like. He didn't get all that far. Son of a bitch laughed at me, and I—" I paused, remembering. Did I really do that? I must have. I couldn't suppress my grin. "I gave his family jewels a good shakedown and ordered him never to touch me again."

Pierce's brow furrowed as he tried to work out the reference, but I mimed a grab and twist, and he winced appreciatively. "You are lucky you still _live_," he commented, looking rather impressed.

"Yeah, well, I have a feeling that'll change tomorrow after the trial. If he wins." I'd spend the day working out my plan. Unless Al decided to play nice and patch me up, I wasn't going anywhere. My muscles simply weren't up to the challenge at the moment, and the dull, throbbing agony in my head sapped my desire to even try. Most of what I felt was simply the aftermath of being all seized up for a long time- my muscles were simply exhausted and sore. The pain in my head was more of a ghostly echo of what I'd felt trying to spindle the shitload of line Al had flooded me with. He'd probably burned a whole new patchwork of aqueducts into my screaming neurons, which would only increase my speed and capacity for storing it in the future- not necessarily a bad thing at all, from my point of view. It just hurt like hell right now.

"What about my eyes?" I asked, realizing that he hadn't finished that thought.

"You...you weren't in them," he said. "They looked unfocused...drugged."

"That's just peachy," I said sullenly. Maybe Al had spiked my tea after all. Creep.

Pierce lingered, providing what relief he could, until he regretfully informed me that Al had figured out he was with me, and was ordering him back to Rachel. Not wanting the witch to get smacked again, I urged him to go. Al was a total slimeball, but if he hadn't killed me after that little stunt, I'd be fine until the trial. Or, at least, I wouldn't be _permanently damaged_ until the trial.

I spent the day in blissful solitude, contemplating what I knew and what I didn't know. I wouldn't cooperate with Al, even if he came in and tortured me with line energy for the rest of the night. Or used his magic demon mojo on me to voodoo my hormones into submission. I had a feeling he'd be leaning more toward the former than the latter, but Al was nothing like predictable. But I was lucky, because he picked option C, which was avoiding me entirely.

I had worked out a tentative plan. Al wouldn't like it, because I'd out myself as the latest, newest member of demon society. But he'd left me with little choice. I didn't believe for a second that there wouldn't be consequences to breaking my promise to Ash, and allying myself with Al would be worse than stupid after this latest incident. I didn't want to belong to Al or Newt, or anyone else. If that meant I had to put myself out there and demand equal status, then so help me I'd do it. I wasn't sure how, but I'd do it. I had nothing left to lose.

Besides, if this worked…it would more than make up for all the humiliation Ash had dumped on me. And it would keep him from dying as Newt's latest chewtoy. Like it or not, Ash would owe me big time if I could pull this off.

Now don't think that I was unaffected by all the bizarre events of the previous week. I was just about at the end of my mental reserves. I had no idea what the future would hold for me after the next twenty-four hours, but I could hold on at least that much longer. THEN I would either be dead, soulless, or safe, and I could curl up and collapse at my leisure. If there was one thing that I'd learned in my short, mentally damaged and unstable life, it was how to put off until tomorrow thinking about the crap that had gone down today. One day at a time. No more than you can handle. Live in the present, and fall to pieces when the crisis was over. Or until you run out of sanity, which ever comes first. Deal. Suck it up and keep slogging until you get there.

It wasn't much of a philosophy, but it'd gotten me this far. I had survived an entire bloody week living with Al in the Ever After, hadn't I?

I must have slept for a good long time, because I was awakened by Al's singsong voice. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty, it's showtime! Time to get on that stage and dance!"

God, if I never heard the word "dance" again from his lips, I'd die happy.


	28. Backstage Jitters

**In Which The Circus Begins**

Al and I arrived in the same little holding room as before, where I'd spent a half-day hiding under a couch fort praying for the nightmare to be over. I was still fuming impotently at Al, who held my arm in a gallant pose, all the while crushing my elbow painfully tight against him to keep me from bolting.

"Put. It. Back!" I insisted, continuing the argument. I stumbled over the hem of the long, ornate gown I wore as he let me go.

"No. Honestly, Evie, you're the first woman I've ever encountered to _complain_ about such an expensive vanity curse. Don't you know how much I could charge for one of those?"

"You got it for _free_," I growled. "_I_ made it! And I wouldn't have done if I'd known what it was for!"

"Oh, shush. I couldn't drag you into the court looking so ragged and surly. And with such a gross disfigurement, too! Appearance is everything, love."

"Put it back! It's part of me, damn you! I want my face back!"

Al had used one of the curses I'd made him to heal up my wrist, and another to rejuvenate my entire body. The second curse was one to die for, if you were just about any woman other than me. It had taken years off my face, removed every imperfection and blemish on my body- and the vicious scar on my cheek had been completely erased. I had nearly had a cow when I looked in the mirror, staring completely dumbstruck at the unfamiliar woman who looked back at me. My hair had even grown out again. It reached to my shoulders in soft, split-end-free waves, and the myriad lone grey hairs had been replaced with a lustrous black.

I was_ furious_. I'd _earned _that face, damn it, and this smooth-skinned doe-eyed pale girl carried none of the lines and marks of the hard life I'd had. I didn't want to be a tender young thing in a demon courtroom, not when I was going to announce to all and sundry that I was demanding a place in their totally fucked-up society, come hell or high water. I wanted to be myself again: grouchy, scarred, intimidating…crows feet and all.

Then, to add insult to injury, Al had dressed me up like some courtesan, in a lovely purple and gold ballgown that wouldn't have fit me before, but clung to my new girlish figure like a second skin. I _never _wore dresses if I could help it. I would have preferred being naked again to being primped and polished and glamoured to within an inch of my life. OK, that's a lie, I _didn't_ want to streak the demon courtroom again, which was how Al got me to cooperate with the whole fancy-dress craziness. It was mortifying. I looked like a high class escort to a masquerade ball. Freaking arm candy.

No, it was worse. I looked like one of my own students. Ugh. I scowled, thinking that nobody was going to take me seriously until I aged up again, and that would take years. I had already spent years doing it the first time, thank you very much. I forced myself to look on the bright side: nobody would recognize me back in reality, that was for damned sure. Unless I went back to my hometown in Colorado. I'd gotten my appearance-altering curse after all.

"Stop your grousing," Al said lightly, clearly still enjoying my impotent anger. "If it's a scarred face you want, I'll be happy to oblige you once we get back home."

I shut up and continued to fume silently again.

Newt materialized shortly thereafter, looking both grim and a little bewildered. Dali accompanied her, but she wasn't nearly as alert as she'd been before. Some spark was lacking today. It was as if that fire of grim purpose and anger she'd brought down on Ash was missing. She appeared rather dazed, clinging to Dali's arm as if she'd never been in this room before. She remembered Al, though, and glared at him.

"Good morning, Newt, love," Al said courteously. "You're looking well today. Are you ready to wield some justice?

Newt muttered something to Dali, and Dali murmured something back that made her look at me suspiciously. It was as if she wasn't completely certain why she was there, but was apparently game enough if it involved someone else as a punching bag.

Dali turned to Al. "Keep your witch silent until we're ready for her testimony. Did you bring the necessary curse?"

"I did," Al said smugly as I bristled at Dali's words. Oh, I'd make him eat them, all right. Al held up a vial, and I recognized it as yet another spell I'd brewed up for him. I wanted to kick him so badly it hurt. I held back by thinking of the look on his face when I pulled the rug out from under his case. Al wanted a show, he'd get a bloody show.

Newt had lost interest in us and was back to whispering to Dali. She still held his arm, as if he were supporting her spiritually instead of simply holding her steady. Her black eyes, inscrutable as always, were blank and wandering. My blood ran cold to see her like this. She looked just as dangerous, just as scary, but she also looked vulnerable, like a tranquilized tiger. Had they dosed her up with something to keep her docile? Maybe there were special words for that, too?

"Al, what's wrong with Newt?" I asked in a quiet whisper.

He shrugged carelessly. "Forget potion, most likely." He said it like it was an everyday occurrence here in the Ever After, and I wondered what they'd made her forget this time. I imagined some truly horrifying scenarios of demons taking advantage of her in hideous ways, and making her forget them. "Every time they think they have all of them, she finds or brews up another stash and fucks herself up that much more."

"Wait, she does it to _herself_?" Good lord, what had the woman endured that was so terrible that she'd force such a weakness as forgetfulness on herself? _Look at her! T__hey could tell her anything, and she wouldn't have a clue if they were lying or not. And she did it to herself! _ Rachel's story came back to me: the elves had done something, or maybe she'd just gone nuts and done it herself, but Newt had killed the other demon women_. _

_Oh. _

_Oh, fuck. _Suddenly my brilliant plan of announcing that I was a demon woman myself didn't seem nearly as brilliant anymore._  
_

Al misread my sudden pale, sick expression. "Evie, it's not your concern. Don't spare any pity on Newt, she'll only kill you faster." I looked at him blankly, swallowing painfully in a throat that was suddenly dry. "Save it for your own skin if you screw things up for me." Al was glaring daggers at me from behind his smoked glasses, and I met his gaze with a sharp and pointy one of my own. He didn't like that, and the scar over my chest blazed hot with his anger for a moment. I couldn't help wincing, but my gaze never wavered. He finally broke the staring contest with a solid smack upside the head instead, not hard enough to bruise but certainly hard enough to make his point.

I stomped on Therese's urge to escalate the matter further, swallowing my pride for the moment. I was getting really tired of this wretched place. Even if everything worked, there was still no guarantee I'd ever leave. It might be the worst idea ever to come out of the demon closet, so to speak, but it was an unknown, when all the knowns were equally awful. And I'd made a habit of making my own options rather than stick with the choices given me. If I made a huge mistake, well…then I'd made it. At least it hadn't been forced on me.

I held my head high as we marched into the courtroom again, an odd circular affair that was packed with demons of every shape, size, and description. The accused stood alone in the center, where everyone could point and jeer. Witnesses simply rose where they were and shouted their testimony for all to hear. There was no nonsense about swearing in and vowing to tell the truth and whatnot. There was a globe sitting between Dali and Newt that would glow red with a lie. Nothing stopping you from lying your head off, but everyone would know it.

We were settled, and Ash was sent in to take his place in the center amid the raucous crowd. He'd obviously had a pretty rough week, having to deal without his daily dose of curses and niceties that he'd grown used to, and he looked a bit….frayed around the edges, for lack of a better description. But he didn't look like he'd been abused or tortured in any way, and his spirit was still strong. He glared defiantly ahead at nothing, ignoring the torrents of jeers and abuse flung his way.

His eyes turned to me and did a doubletake at my new makeover. I felt a sudden need to explain that this was Al's doing, not mine. Like he'd care. Demons had little patience for little things like motivations and intentions, weighting pretty much everything in terms of the final outcome. I'd probably just added a big insult to injury by ditching the scar and showing up like this. Thanks, Al.

I shivered. This really was a circus. I felt my throat going dry as butterflies began to breed at an amazing pace in my stomach and intestines. Then my head did an abrupt about-face. This would be no different than facing a lecture hall of three hundred rowdy students, something I had ample experience in. If there's one thing that lecturing for twenty years can teach you, it's how to perform for an audience. Stage fright? Bah. Nobody here would hurt me, I was a witness.

Al shifted beside me, and I could see him sweating. Al, it seemed, had plenty of confidence when it came to tormenting and bullying helpless familiars, but even he was nervous before such a crowd as this. He hid it well, and I expected the flamboyant demon to put on a fine show, but it amused me to see that even the almighty Algaliarept still got the jitters now and then.

Dali called for silence, and the farce began.


	29. Showtime!

**In Which Evie Puts on a Show. Several, Actually.**

I swear demons modeled their courtrooms after the Spanish Inquisition. It was about that fair and balanced, anyway. Algaliarept received his share of jeers and mockery as he stood to give his testimony- apparently the demon was very well known and not hugely well liked…or perhaps it was simply his recent antics with Rachel that made him a subject of rumor and gossip. In any case, Al couldn't help but respond to some of the taunting with some witty or really crude comebacks, making his testimony last for-fucking-ever. Nobody minded how long it took- this was fine entertainment.

I shifted impatiently and slapped away the wandering hand of the unfamiliar demon on my other side. For the sixth time. The obnoxious creep, a smarmily handsome blond dressed in a really horrid leisure suit, was much bolder now that Al was distracted. There were no other women here besides Newt and I, as apparently this trial was demons only, no familiars allowed.

Al finally finished recounting the details of the night of my capture, and was told to produce the witch in question. This created quite a stir in itself, which I found a little frightening. I knew perhaps six or seven demons apart from the four who currently made my life hell, but a lot more of them knew about me. Was I that well known? I shivered at the thought, then realized that of course demons had their tabloids and rumor mills and talk shows, and Ash's story would've been front-page gossip. Of course they all knew who I was by now.

"You're on, love," Al said as I rose to stand beside him, and he gave my ass a deliberate, proprietary squeeze. I managed to keep the urge to smack him confined to a single involuntary eye twitch. "Make me proud. _Or else_."

"Just get out the damned curse, Al, because you're going to need it," I grumbled back.

His eyes widened a little, then narrowed in irritation as he sighed dramatically. "It's your funeral," he muttered ominously. Damn it, I think he had actually expected me to cave at the last minute.

Al sat down, leaving me to endure the rain of whistles, catcalls, and crude propositions that were flung my way. Heh. It wasn't all that different than a high school in a bad part of town that I'd lectured at once. I withstood it calmly, even when I saw Al taking notes of some of the offers he was getting out of the corner of my eye. And I waited until it died down, which took quite awhile, as everyone was rowdy and having a grand old time.

It was Newt who finally pounded her staff on the table before her, ire clearly flashing in her face. "So speak, witch! Is Al right? State the terms of the original bargain!"

"A modified minor demon mark, in exchange for a sample of blood," I said clearly. "The mark was to legally confer ownership of myself to Ashmedai in case of my capture by another, and was to be removed by him anytime I wished if I changed my mind."

Newt looked disgusted. "You took it willingly, without owing him a favor in exchange? You _agreed _to be owned?"

_Hooo boy_, the comments that this generated were…well, they were really something. I was curious why, though, as mortals made deals with demons in exchange for their souls all the freaking time, at least according to legend. Didn't they? None of the summoners I'd ever worked with had agreed to anything so foolish, but then, they'd come to me first, which made them a mite smarter than the usual.

"No, I agreed for the small measure of protection it would give from the other hunters of familiars that I dealt with, give them less incentive to snatch me," I replied. "I never _intended_ to be caught. And I _wasn't _caught. Ash and I were in the middle of a deal when he was arrested."

Newt waved this aside. "No, you dumb _bint_," she said impatiently. "Your motives don't matter. You took a mark without a favor, so you agreed to be owned!"

My heart skipped a beat. I was counting on this, though it killed me to say it. "By that definition, then yes…I _agreed_ to be Ash's."

Even Ash gave me a shocked look, and I saw Al look utterly bewildered. I was playing right into his hands, after all.

"So you admit that Ash broke the deal when he refused to take the mark off?"

"I plead the Fifth," I said with a smile.

The room erupted into laughter and jeers, as Dali made an impatient noise. "You're not in America, you're not even in reality! Do you really think we honor the fucking _Constitution_ in the Ever After?" More laughter. Yeah, I'd done that on purpose.

"I exercise my right to remain silent?" I said, and now Dali was looking pissed.

"We don't have the fucking Miranda rights here, either, and I'd advise you to start taking this seriously," he shouted sternly over the gleeful noise.

"I refuse to confirm or deny it."

"Al." Dali indicated impatiently that Al should get on with administering the curse. Al popped the cork, grabbed my hair, and did so. I swallowed it with a grimace, remembering the shit I'd put in there and tasting every last component as it slithered down. Gagging, I tried not to spew on the heads of the demons in the row in front of me. Al said the word of invocation.

Ever had happy gas at the dentist? That's about how it felt when the curse took hold. My will to resist fluttered away into the crowd like so many pretty pink butterflies and everything seemed about ten times less significant. And ten times shinier and funnier, as well. I felt my limbs relax, and Al had to hold me up as I began to sway on my unsteady legs. I let my head loll against his shoulder, feeling surreal in the dreamlike trance. _Ooooh, yeah, I like this_.

They asked me questions, and I answered in a singsong voice. It didn't take long to establish that Al was telling the truth. Al hadn't wasted the opportunity to take advantage of my loopy state. The pretty, pretty demon was making me giggle and sigh with some indiscreet and totally inappropriate groping. Something I said triggered another question, and the story of how Al had let me go came out. Al wasn't nearly as happy about that, but everyone else sure thought it was hysterical. The laughter bubbled around me like warm champagne. Now he was back on the spot for questioning about how a witch could possibly have a charm strong enough to frighten a demon. When he said that he'd simply changed his mind, the lie detector glowed a brilliant, tattle-tale red. Miffed, he shoved me back down, where I was intercepted by Leisure Suit Larry next door.

Al suddenly realized that nobody was listening to his rambling, evasive explanation, and looked down to find me putting on an even better show than he was. The outraged shriek I made when Al turned the curse off got the biggest laugh yet. I slugged the stranger I'd been happily making out with and scrambled off his lap, cursing and brick red with embarrassment. Al sat beside me again, looking really peeved, but it was his own damned fault he'd let me ramble on and on while he irritated the hell out of Ash below.

"I'll have to remember that curse," he said, as I wiped my mouth in disgust and readjusted the neckline of my gown to a more modest level. "You'll be wonderful fun at parties, kitten."

I didn't reply, thanking my lucky stars he'd undone the curse before the trial was over. I'd have completely missed my opportunity, and probably have ended the whole fiasco by providing some hard core entertainment. I shuddered, and tried to focus again on picking just the right moment to speak again.

I waited until Ash was ordered to speak in his defense…except he wasn't.

"All right, I think we've heard enough here," Dali finally shouted amid the growing chaos. "What do you think?"


	30. Someone Dies Laughing

**In Which Evie Comes Out of the Closet**

I was horrified to hear the nearly room erupt with cries for justice, shouting suggested punishments that were disproportionate and universally bloody and cruel. Good grief, these creatures were vicious! I watched Ash's pale face as he had to endure the collective calls for his head, and realized that he'd already resigned himself to his fate.

"The mob has spoken! Guilty as charged!" Dali shouted gleefully. "Newt?"

Shit, this was happening too fast.

Newt stood and the room fell silent. She fixed Ash with her deadly black stare. "Kaviashemedaeva, we only have one real law here, and you broke it. Your freedom is forfeit. Your possessions will be given to Algaliarept as restitution. Your life is mine. I claim you as my familiar."

I took a shaky breath. _Now or never._

I stood before Al had any inkling of my intention, and shouted, "I contest your claim! He's mine!"

Al looked completely horrified, and pulled me back down. "_Shut up_!" he hissed, but the damage was done.

I'd expected the demons in the room to laugh, or jeer, or something, but the silence following this announcement was absolute. A puny little witch had just challenged the queen mother of Looneyland. This was going to be _really _good.

Newt fixed me with an imperious stare. "You? And what makes you think you have any right to the life of this male?" She made an impatient movement of her staff at Al. "Let her speak, Al!"

Al removed his hand from my mouth and reluctantly let me up again. "Because I have prior claim. Ash is my demon. He took my mark willingly. He agreed to be owned. By me."

Murmurs and whispers filled the room now, quickly silenced by a slam from Newt's staff on the floor. I didn't dare glance at Al, who would probably happily kill me right about now, or Ash, who probably felt the same.

"You're a witch! You can't _own_ a demon through a _mark_!" shouted Dali indignantly.

"There's precedence! Minias bore Rachel Mariana Morgan's mark for a time, and she was witch-born!" I shouted over the growing hiss around me. "Ash wears my mark and I can prove it!"

Newt glanced at the globe and saw it was still a steady green. Her black eyes were wide with surprise. "_Rachel _is more than a witch," Newt said, and I suddenly realized that she had completely forgotten that I was, too. I could still potentially screw all this and go home with Al, if I wanted. _No._

"As am I," I said, and I saw Al palm his forehead in frustration. _Good, I hope you choke on it. Wait'll you see what I come out with next, assuming I survive the next thirty seconds._ "I claim this male for my own. And what's more," I added, raising my voice over the noise, "My claim _precedes_ Algaliarept's! Because Ash broke his promise to me, I hereby claim Ash's property as well. In restitution!"

"You little _canicula_!" Al said, a mixture of fury and wonder in his voice. I still didn't dare look at either of them.

Newt was staring at me in frank astonishment. "You honestly think you have a voice here? What makes you think-"

"I was born of a survivor of Rosewood syndrome! I'm as much a demon as any of you!" I shouted, and that did it. Utter chaos filled the room as demons stood up and began shouting at once. The noise was deafening.

Al pulled me down again, but this time it was to put a black circle around us. "You are insane! Fucking suicidal!" he hissed. "You're still under my bloody protection, you idiot, and you might have just killed us both!"

"I was a dead woman anyway," I said, feeling the shakes starting. "I can't tell you how much it would amuse me if I took you down with me."

Al's hand twitched as if it ached to be around my neck.

"But I need your help, Al," I said with a mirthless grin. "It's too late to go back now. Help me get through this and I'll give you your stuff back. Whatever Ash took from you."

Al paused, eyes glittering with avarice. "You actually _marked_ him?" he said thoughtfully. "A real mark? He _let _you?"

"Well, not intentionally- he kind of did it to himself, but I'll be damned if I don't use it to my advantage!"

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire, you are indeed one of us," Al said, and a slow, malicious smile crossed his face. "All right, go do your thing. I can't wait to see how this turns out."

He suddenly started, because Newt was hovering directly in front of his bubble. She whacked it with her staff, and it dropped. I blanched at the expression on her face. It was livid with strong emotions, but I wasn't sure what they were. She grabbed my arm and swiped a wound with her fingernail, tasting the blood and recoiling as if burnt. She began shouting hysterically in a language I didn't know, and Dali was suddenly there to support her. She wasn't casting a spell, she was just completely freaking out. I waited for her to attack, but Dali and several other demons were now surrounding her, guiding her back away from us.

"Prove your claim!" Dali shouted over the ruckus and Newt's shrieking. "Demonstrate it's an active mark!"

I looked at Ash, then Al, realizing I had no idea how. Al gallantly rose to my rescue, guiding me down the rows and to the center of the room, where Ash stood expressionless and waiting. With a slow, sensual flair, Al slid the bracelet off of my wrist. Finally! I took a deep breath of relief that turned into a surprised gasp as Al kissed my palm, flooding me with energy from his chi. With it came a trickle of knowledge of how to activate a mark.

I met Ash's eyes for the first time in a week, and found I had no idea what he was thinking. He looked back in stony silence, then parted his own shirt to reveal the five small scars. I ignored the noise around us and placed my fingers on them. I felt the bond, now, tenuous but present, and triggered it.

Ash grunted in agony and fell to his knees, and I yanked my hand back. I hadn't meant to hurt him, damn it, and unthinkingly said, "Oh! S-sorry, sorry!" rather sheepishly, which kinda shot the Big Bad Demoness persona to hell but probably went well with the new Dainty Damsel look I was sporting. I glared at Al, who was looking innocently at the ceiling. Obviously he hadn't included the knowledge of how to make it feel _good_.

But it was enough. The room had gone silent once more, though this time the silence was one of predatory awe.

Then it was broken with a really horrifying sound. Newt was laughing, a hysterical, unhinged laugh that grew louder and louder in the deafening silence. She bent double, leaning on her staff and howling with insane amusement. Tears ran down her face. "You want him, he's yours!" she shouted gleefully, barely able to get the words out. "Take him and good riddance! Sorry, Al, your little scheme didn't work- I'm giving his stuff to her, and you'll pay her restitution for forcing Ash to break his second deal with her!" She collapsed into the arms of the startled and suddenly terrified demon next to her, still laughing.

Al's face fell into a snarl, but I put a hand on his arm. "I won't press charges on that, in repayment for Al's…warm hospitality while I was his _guest_ this past week," I said smoothly, _almost_ managing to keep a straight face as I said it. Al blinked in surprise. The globe glowed a rather oddball red, so I amended, "In exchange for Al not being too horrible to me while I was his fucking_ pet_ this week." The globe obligingly went green again, as did Al's face when Newt stopped her laughing and looked at him.

"What did he do?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"If he'll take back his damned smut and remove his brand, I'll call us even." I said carefully, though my lips trying to quirk. "Unless you want to tell the court what you did and how I _provoked_ you?" I asked Al sweetly.

"Deal," he snarled in resigned annoyance, and I felt the band encircling my soul lift away, along with most of the darkness. I was surprised he'd agreed so quickly, as that had been rather a long shot, but it'd panned out after all. I closed my eyes and choked back the tears that were threatening. _Just a little longer, Evie, hold on just a little bit longer._

"Anything else, Newt?" asked Dali respectfully.

"Take me home, Dali," she said, looking tired but still amused. "And _you_," she added, fixing her black eyes on me with a very malicious grin indeed. "Welcome to Hell. Be seeing you soon."

"Court is adjourned!" Dali yelled, and the room went mad again. He and Newt vanished, and Al once again threw a protective circle about the three of us as the spectators came crowding in to gawk and poke.

I felt like I was ready to collapse, too. I took Al's arm again to steady myself, but my eyes were fixed on Ash, who still had given no indication of his feelings about this one way or another. "Al?" I asked softly, and he bent to listen. "Could you give us a ride home? We have a lot to discuss."


	31. Restitution

_I cannot tell you how satisfying this chapter was to write. I thought it'd be the penultimate chapter, too...but Ash is anything but predictable. I had no idea he'd say that. _

**In Which Evie Gives Ash a Really Good (Verbal) Spanking**

The three of us reappeared in the trophy room…now _my_ trophy room, apparently. I had no idea what Ash actually owned, but it was obvious he was very wealthy by Ever After standards. I didn't care- I didn't want it and intended to trade it all back to him in exchange for my freedom. But that could wait for a little while yet. Right now I had more important business to attend to.

"Well?" I demanded of Ash, who was looking very surly indeed. "Nothing to say?"

Ash gave me a patronizing look, and Al laughed. "You might try un-gagging him if you want to have a conversation."

"Oh,' I said. Was that why Ash hadn't spoken a word the entire time? "And how would I do that?"

"Give him a kiss, love," Al said, amused.

"Will you bite my head off if I do?" I asked Ash, and he just narrowed his eyes. I took that for a _probably, yes,_ and did it anyway. It was a very one-sided peck, but Ash took a deep breath and worked his mouth as if he had indeed been physically muffled.

"You reek of _him_," Ash said, glaring at Al.

"Well, you did give me to him, you asshole. What did you think would happen?"

"I see now why you wanted to keep her all to yourself. She is a _delicious_ little thing, isn't she?" Al said, and I slapped his hand away, _again_.

"Algaliarept, I have had _more_ than enough of the groping. Need I remind you that I am not _tamed by silver_ and _bound by your slimy_ _mark_ anymore? Touch me again and I will rip your fucking nuts off!" The look I turned on him was vicious.

Al just laughed. "That's one tough little bitch you have there, Ash."

Ash had clearly recognized the words and what they meant, and I swore I could hear the virtual thunderclouds gathering over his head. I realized Ash thought that I'd gone and allied myself with Al, that we'd worked together to deprive him of his freedom and livelihood. I debated letting him keep thinking that, but it wounded my own pride too much.

"All right, gentlemen, here is what is going to happen. You two will stop this pointless feuding. Ash, you're giving back everything you stole from Al during the last trial." Ash choked, going red with rage. "Al, you're going to be fucking grateful I'm giving you a damned thing after last week, and you'll take me off your shitlist and leave me the hell alone!"

Al smiled, and I almost believed it was genuine. "As you wish, love. Though if you ever get bored of your new toy and his paltry skills in the sack, you know where to find me. I'll be back sometime this week to collect. I expect you and your new lapdog have much to….discuss. Let me know if you want any help breaking him in for you." Al gave Ash's ass a pinch, misting away as Ash struck out at him.

I grimaced, trying not to be shocked. That Al was really something else, wasn't he?

"I am _not_ your toy," Ash said dangerously. "I _will_ find a way to kill you for this, Yvette Therese Sinclaire."

I smacked him hard across the face, finally at the end of my patience, and he took it like he'd expected it. "And for that, you'll wear those fucking handcuffs for another week and see how YOU like it! I just spent an entire _week_ with Algaliarept thanks to you, AND just took on the scariest demon in the Ever After to save your worthless hide! After you lied to me, broke your promise, and kept from me the rather significant knowledge that I'm a bloody demon! And all the time all I had to do was simply break my word and spill the beans on you, Ash, and I could've lived happily ever after under Al's protection. But I _didn't,_ and if you want me to just give the rest of your junk to Al and sell you to Newt in exchange for a ticket home, just say the word!"

My voice broke as the stress of the week burst on me and the last of the speech was barely coherent through the gasping sobs that were wracking me. At the end of my tirade I collapsed, unable to keep up the tough girl façade any longer. I let it all out, the terror and the uncertainty and the humiliation, and had the panic attack to end all panic attacks there on the floor. I didn't fight it. My mental reserves were completely tapped out. As for Ash, I didn't give two figs what he thought of my sudden weakness. He'd seen me have my episodes dozens of times by now, and it'd probably tickled him pink every time knowing it was all his doing.

After too long a while I looked up to see Ash sitting beside me. His hand was extended, as if he were about to touch me, but was worried that I'd bite it off. His expression was blank, blank as he'd looked as I'd rejected him for being what he was. I thought that I recognized what it must be now- the look of feeling something so strongly that one must simply turn off one's face rather than risk others seeing.

"You wouldn't really sell me to Newt, would you?" he asked, and I realized something else. Ash had probably spent the last week in a similar state of terror, certain that nobody, least of all the woman he'd used and abused, would give a second thought to seeing him brought down. What had he gone through, alone and powerless? What would it be like to have lived for over five thousand years, and finally face your own death? Especially with that amount of blackness on your soul?

"Of course not, you idiot!" I shouted, really angry that he'd think I was serious. "Thanks SO much for thinking so little of me."

"You didn't betray me," he said quietly. "You're here because of me, you spent a week with that bastard because I gave you to him. Anyone else would have betrayed me, why didn't you?"

Now I just felt tired and sick of all of this shit. Was I finally safe? Or was Ash plotting to kill me in my sleep? "I might be a fucking demon, Ash, but I don't have to _act _like one." I hiccupped and wiped my eyes again. "Besides…you saved my life. I would have done it, I would have killed myself. But you didn't let me, and here I am. We got through it OK. And I'm not going to make you my toy, Ash. I'm giving everything back to you as soon as you drop me off in reality. All the deals are off. You owe me big time. I don't owe you squat."

Ash's eyes widened in utter astonishment. "Do you even know how much that is?" he asked. "How much wealth that represents, even after Al gets his share back?"

"Ash, I don't give a damn. It's blood money, and I don't want it." I reconsidered, my logical mind reasserting practical considerations. "OK, maybe I'll skim a little off the top to help rebuild my new life, but no more."

"And the ownership issue?" I frowned, and he elaborated, "As of now, legally, I am nothing more than your slave, your familiar if you wish. I'm sure your good friend Algaliarept would be more than happy to show you how to twist that curse," he added snidely.

"I don't _want_ a slave or a familiar, you ass! Which reminds me, I also own Solange, now. You'll give her back her soul. She can decide what she wants to do from there. She can stay with you, God help her, or come with me. But if she stays here, it'll be her own _choice_. And you will track down my four friends. I'm using your money to buy them back from their owners, and send them home. With a huge enough fucking dose of Lethe to make sure they never remember a damned thing about what happened to them here." Forget charms were illegal and immoral, but my conscious would certainly forgive me for taking the easy road, just this once.

Ash smacked his hand on the floor as if in frustration. "Yvette Therese Sinclaire, after this day you have everything a demon could want- fame, fortune, and a powerful familiar. You're an absolute idiot for even considering giving that up!"

I laughed cynically. "Then you ought to be thanking whatever powers you believe in that you ended up the property of the _nicest_ idiot pushover in the Ever After, damn you! So. Now that I effectively have you at my mercy," I said, echoing his own words to me right after he'd tried to steal my soul, "I want to come to a new arrangement."

"I'm all ears," he said, his face still blank, but I thought I saw a twitch of either trepidation or humor in his eye. Oh, yeah, he remembered why he should be really worried, now. _Good._

"You'll teach me as much as my brain can hold for as long as it takes to settle all the red tape that crops up from all the legal bullshit from the trial. Then I'll take those handcuffs off you. You return Solange's soul to her, and the souls of Judy, Greg, Red, and Toby to them. Then, since you've already obviously renounced me, you can take off the last hint of our association," I pointed to his mark, "I'll sign everything over to you, legally grant you emancipation from my ownership, _and_ I'll remove my mark when you drop me and the others off at a location of MY choosing. And we never have to cross paths again!"

Ash was silent for a long time. "Your freedom in exchange for the return of my life, my wealth, and _my_ freedom?" His tone was a little incredulous.

OK, it was a bit of a no-brainer bargain. I had him by the short hairs, I could probably ask for the moon, as well. I wondered briefly what the market price was for a five thousand year old familiar-trainer. Selling him was always an option, wouldn't that just serve him right? But I wasn't a vengeful person, despite my heritage, and I didn't intend to become one. "Yeah. I know, I know, I'm no good at bargains. Lucky you."

"You're serious,"

"Just nod and smile, Ash, you don't even have to thank me," I added sarcastically.

He closed his eyes, and it seemed as if a great weight had been removed from him. I almost felt the days of tension and fear leave him. He'd get his life back, his livelihood, his reputation. He'd lose a familiar and a student, but he could always find another familiar. He wouldn't suffer the indignity of being a slave to Newt or myself, wouldn't die unmourned at the hands of an insane demon. He'd be OK. He could go back to his old life without anything more than a really bad week, followed by a slightly humbled week in cuffs. Humbling, but not permanently damaging except to his considerable ego. He'd probably even gain in reputation once word of his emancipation got out, as the Good Old Boys of the demon world would attribute it to _his _prowess instead of my own pig-headedness. He had everything to gain now, and nothing to lose.

Which was why his answer rather shocked me.

"No."


	32. Evasive Answers

**In Which Evie Finds Her Life Is Still Very Complicated**

My jaw dropped in astonishment. "No? _No?_ You can't say no to me, Ash! _Not again!"_ He was legally my slave, true, but of course I had no power to force him to do anything, especially if it involved something magical. I suppose I could go to Al and have him lay the smackdown on Ash, but I couldn't stomach that thought. I wouldn't stoop so low- I wanted his cooperation, and I wanted to be off _Ash's_ shitlist as well.

His eyes were turned toward the dying fire, but they were staring off unseeing into some distant thought. "I'm shouldn't, but I can. No!"

"Ash, what the hell are you thinking? Are you telling me you'll go back on your word _again_, after this entire fiasco? I want my life back! I want the hell out of the Ever After, and no more fucking demon marks _ever again!_ You want your status and your wealth and your reputation back. Win-win here, Ash! What's the problem?"

"It's not enough."

I just gaped at him in silent confusion. "Not…._enough?"_

"I'm not interested in selling."

"The hell? You have nothing, Ash! Legally, you have absolutely nothing! Take the damned deal!"

"I have _you_."

I felt my heart begin to race in panic. How could he? How could he be so fucking stubborn? How could he do this to me after I saved his miserable ass? "Ash, you're freaking me the fuck out, here. You can't possibly _want _to be owned by me. That is just…sick and wrong on so many levels."

"No, of course I don't."

"Then what is it? Look at me, damn you!" I ordered in frustration.

His eyes met mine, and they were almost feverishly bright in his too-blank face. "You're _mine_."

Oh, God. He had one last bit of power over me, and he wouldn't yield it. Was he so fucking proud that he'd force me to keep him rather than stoop to dirtier measures we both know I'd never take? To keep me here, chained to him? I knew I shouldn't let my desperation show, but I had no energy left for concealment. My voice rose too high and loud. "Don't do this to me, Ash. Don't make me go to someone else to get the hell out of here. I _want _to give you your life back, so help me! Just take it!"

"You can't, Evie," he said, very softly. "It's too late."

I refused to listen to this anymore. After all the crap Al had put me through, I just didn't have any mental energy left for any more of this demon bullshit. I tried to scramble to my feet, unsure of where I was going but needing to be moving. But quick as lightning, Ash caught my hand. He might be magically shackled, but he was still much stronger than I. And he was as merciless as the demon he was, reeling me back in by my arm and crushing me to his chest. His lips met mine so desperately that it was painful, one kiss stumbling over another in their haste.

Something inside me broke, and I found myself kissing him back just as hungrily. We'd both been convinced we were going to die, or suffer a lifetime of degradation, and now we were delivered from that grim fate. We were alive and would stay that way for the foreseeable future. And now we both felt the need to be close to another soul, just for a moment, to feel something other than pain and fear. At least, that's what _I_ was feeling. For all I knew he simply wanted to erase all traces of Al on me…which to be honest, I didn't mind in the least.

There was no magic this time, no demon tricks or games or flattering words. Ash had the gown off of me in ten seconds flat, and I had his clothes off in another fifteen. Never breaking the chain of sweet, eager kisses, Ash pressed me down and entered me, thrusting deeply with a hoarse groan. He pressed his face into my shoulder, and I felt him trembling as he moved inside me. I clung to him, eyes closed, but traitorous tears leaked out anyway. He was so warm and alive, and he felt so good inside me.

After a few minutes he began to slow his pace, as if the need for haste was over. His kisses became long, gentle, deep. Each one reached inside me and wrapped around me with a new layer of warmth, each one melted another layer of the solid wall of ice around my psyche I'd built while living with Al. We rocked together for a long time, enjoying the sweet, sweet sensation of just being alive. I pulled back to look at him, losing myself in his eyes as he shivered and came inside me, feeling a contented pleasure.

We lay entangled for a long time, my head on his shoulder, fingers idly stroking the five scars on his chest. He had barely said two dozen words after my demand, just clammed up completely. Did he know I'd free him anyway? Was he counting on me being a fool in some other way? What was he plotting? Was he plotting anything? I sighed, tired of worrying about who was plotting what. I'd worry about it tomorrow.

There were a lot of things that I had to worry about tomorrow, as the impact of the last few days slowly sank in. It was becoming clear to me that I hadn't really believed this whole demon heritage thing, not really, not until the point where I'd triggered my mark. The whole weight of that knowledge would hammer me over the head as soon as I let myself look at it more closely. Tomorrow. Everything could wait until tomorrow. For today, everything was….fine.

I'd dozed off twice when Ash said quietly, "Will you take us to bed?" and I remembered that he couldn't even jump from room to room in his own house while wearing the silver. My bracelet had been modified to allow me to do so in Al's house, but I had no idea how to do the same for Ash's cuffs. How mortifying for him. But I could jump us, having become quite good at this little trick over the past week.

Solange was waiting there, curled up in a little wudge in a dark corner of the room. She looked like a lost child, hiding from the monsters that were crawling all over this godforsaken realm. When she saw Ash, she stood quickly and ran to him. She said nothing, didn't throw herself into his arms or anything maudlin like that, but her face was eloquent in its relief. I wondered how much she knew of what had happened.

"Solange," I said, as she gazed at Ash in confusion, then growing trepidation. She refocused on me. "Ash isn't your master anymore, I am. And I'm making him give you back your soul as soon as I can arrange it."

She simply stared at me in uncomprehending confusion.

Ash smiled tiredly. "She's still not very good with English," he said. "And normally we speak mind-to-mind. But I can't talk to her that way with this damned silver on. I'll translate." He spoke to her rapidly in French for awhile, as she answered questions and posed her own, growing more and more agitated. She finally burst into tears, then fell to her knees and kissed my hand fervently.

"God, Ash, please tell her not to do that!" I said, appalled. I gave a tug to encourage her to rise. She looked from Ash to me, and back again as Ash presumably told her to cut it out. She began crying again, shaking with huge wracking sobs, and vanished abruptly.

"She'll be all right, she just needs time to absorb it." Ash reassured me as I stared at where the young woman had been, troubled at her distress. "Come."

It didn't take any more encouragement than that. Ash talked me through the process of setting the ward- turns out he _was_ more paranoid about others getting in than me getting out last time. Needless to say, I was now equally paranoid about receiving a visit from someone, particularly Newt, in the middle of the night, so I set it gladly enough. I was exhausted enough to fall asleep immediately, but still…

"Will you please take the deal, Ash?" I whispered in the darkness.

"No," he replied sleepily, but firmly.

"Are you really serious? Truly serious? You're not just counting on me being a softie and doing it anyway?"

"I'm serious. We'll discuss it further tomorrow."

I lay quietly for a long time, listening to him breathe. His breaths were slow and relaxed. Maybe he was asleep already. Good, because I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to my next question.

"Ash, you're not...you're not saying that you want…that you…"

I couldn't voice the word _love_, it would be too fraught with complications I didn't even want to consider. The foremost of which was that I didn't love _him_, no matter what my hormone-soused brain seemed to want to think. I would have to be the worst kind of fool to believe that Ash, Mr. Scary Demon of Wrath, would want me here out of anything other than vengeance or pride. Perhaps he had some twisted affection for me, but something as forgiving and selfless as love? From the guy who considered the torture of teenagers just part of the daily grind, and who'd tried to steal my soul not eight days ago?

"No. I'm not saying that." He gathered me to him so he could spoon behind and lock possessive arms around me. He whispered in my ear with slow emphasis, "I'll _never _say that, Evie. Go to sleep."

"Excuse me, but who is in charge around here?" I murmured playfully, but I didn't move, pondering his evasive reply. No. I wasn't a total idiot. He was five thousand years old, and along comes a woman who brings him completely down. Demons don't care about motives or good intentions, just results. I'd done this to him. I'd seen him brought low, and now I'd seen his terror, his brief moment of weakness tonight. How could he possibly ever forgive that?

He chuckled. "I think we both know the answer to that."


	33. And Not So Evasive Answers

_Aw, crap, Ash! I was supposed to be wrapping this story up! _

**In Which Ash Makes Several Unwelcome Points, and an Absolutely Wonderful Suggestion That Evie Pointedly Ignores.**

I awoke feeling like I'd clawed my way out of a mental trainwreck. Today was going to suck, I could tell. A bleak depression had settled on me, as usually happened after a traumatic day. Hell, this had to have been the most traumatic week I'd had since I was a kid. I usually dealt with such moods by pushing myself into my work, or spending the day outdoors in the sunlight in some crowded place where I could feel like I was still part of humanity. Witch-manity? Whatever.

Except I wasn't a witch, was I? I wanted to crawl right back into my dreams and deny the entire week had happened.

I opened my eyes to find Ash already awake, simply sitting comfortably with a knee drawn up, staring at me. He had a little half-smile on his lips, which I knew meant he'd recovered his equilibrium just fine and was up to something. Swell. The last thing I felt capable of handling right now was more demon head-games.

"You look just like I remember," he said, fixing me with that same fond, intense stare he'd used to make me feel all warm and tingly as a teenager. "All those lonely years I did think of you, now and then. I'd often picture you just like-"

"Just stop there," I said grumpily, in no mood for his sappy reminiscences. "I get it. You got off on picturing me helpless and naked in your bed. I suppose I should be something other than really disgusted."

Ash grinned. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, then," he said playfully.

"No, Ash, someone woke up in the wrong fucking bed, period." I propped myself up on my elbows, momentarily startled by the sensation of hair in my face. Aaak! I'd have to get that taken care of. I wondered if there was a way to reverse the curse Al had forced on me. "I hope you know that the makeover wasn't my idea."

"I figured that. It really didn't seem like you," he agreed. "Though I had forgotten how beautiful you are."

"I said stop it, Ash. I'm not in the mood for your flattery. Is there a way to reverse the curse, or should I grab a steak knife and take care of things myself?"

"You want the scar back?" he asked, sounding surprised. "Why?"

"It's part of me, part of my identity. It's to remind me…" I wasn't sure what it was meant to remind me of. That Ash was dangerous? Pfft. He was legally my slave and his magic was bound up in charmed silver, and I still hadn't forgotten _that_! "To remind me that I'm never safe," I finished. "So….I guess I don't need the reminder juuust at the moment, do I?"

"You're safe with me, Evie," he said, sounding pretty sincere. "It's the rest of the Ever After I'm worried about."

"With you in my head? It's _you _I'm most wary of." I sat up all the way, pulling the sheets with me because it was cold as fuck in here. "All right, Ash, cards on the table: why won't you take my deal?"

Ash went into full on predator mode, sort of sinuously, slowly slithering toward me like a stalking panther. I actually gulped and pressed myself against the headboard, unprepared for yet another round of madness so soon after waking. He was upon me a moment later, looming before me in all his magnificent nudity. Apart from straddling my thighs, he wasn't touching me, but he was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. "All right, let's be honest, my clever, clever _berexadtha_. Nothing has changed."

_His what?_ I pushed him back a little with a hand on his chest, and I let the barest little tingle slip between us. It worked, his eyes widened and he moved back enough to give me a little breathing room. "Excuse me, my devious, devious _boy-toy_, but I believe that _everything_ has changed."

He recovered quickly, still trying to make me feel small with his physical presence. It wasn't working. But his words, now, those worked just fine. "We both know you don't have it in you to sell me, torture me, or even treat me like a slave, not with your upbringing. You think you have it in you to be as cruel as you'll have to be to survive here?"

_Shit._ My eyes narrowed. "Ash, you don't want to go there. You don't know what I'll do to survive. What I've had to do in the past. If I have to, I'll-"

"You'll what?" he taunted. "You'll have to, Evie. You have no idea what you have done."

"What I've…? Listen, you twerp, I knew better than to expect _gratitude_ for saving your ass from Newt, not with your colossal ego. I'm sure you've found a way to squeeze it all back out of me and keep me here under your thumb. But I'm not going to fall for it. I'm getting the hell out of here. You can either take the deal, or…don't! Fuck if I care, you can stay legally my slave if you want! Either way, I am getting out of the Ever After and starting my life fresh, _like we agreed_."

I ended this tirade by giving him a good shove, backing it with another jolt through his mark. This time he actually fell over backwards. But he was laughing, now. It wasn't entirely an amused laugh, though. It had a good element of taunting in it. My heart began to beat a little faster, now. "You can't leave!" he said. "Did you forget that your secret's out? Every demon in the Ever After with a line to reality will hunt you down. Summoners will find out, and you'll have a price on your head. If the elves don't kill you, the witches will. And if you manage to escape them, the world will find out about the genetic heritage of the witches and there will be a second Turn. You want to start a new genocide, Evie?"

I stared at him, absolutely horror-struck. My breath left me and I had trouble gathering a new one. I had given absolutely no thought to the long term consequences of my actions, focusing only on what I had to do to escape Al and Newt. "Oh, God. You're right." My voice was small and terrified. What had I done?

Ash propped himself up on his elbows, still grinning in a slightly manic fashion. "I'm not finished, Evie. Have you considered what you did in that courtroom? The underlying meaning of what you said?"

I just stared at him, a deer in the approaching headlights of Hard Truth.

"You told them we'd exchanged marks, without favors owed. Evie, we don't _do_ that."

"Now wait a minute, Al said you don't do it _anymore_," I protested. "Because it's too…too…"

"Dangerous," he finished. "But I meant that we don't kiss and tell, so to speak. You, on the other hand, blabbed it to the entire Ever After."

Could this get any worse? "Should we…should we take them off?" I asked. "How do we fix this?"

Ash was shaking his head. "You don't understand. You told them you claimed _me_. If you decide to just cast me off-"

"So this IS about your colossal ego!" I snapped, and he huffed in frustration.

"Don't be dense, Evie. If you cast me aside, the position will be _vacant_."

"The…you mean…" I was lost for words.

"You'll be inundated with suitors,' he said, grinning triumphantly.

"_Suitors?_!" I cried, feeling the blood run from my face as I realized that I was now the most eligible bachelorette in the Ever After. My only competition being Newt, perhaps that wasn't saying much. Rachel…God, Al had managed to keep her secret. Maybe if I'd had half a brain in my head, I'd have stuck with him after all. He was being far savvier about it than I was, that was for damned sure.

I buried my face in my hands. And to think five minutes ago I had only been worried about _one_ demon. "OK, Ash….what would you do, if you were me?"

He gave another bark of laughter. "I'd screw the brains out of my new slave, is what I'd do," he said with a leer.

"I'm serious, Ash! I just…God, what do I do? I have to stay here? With you?"

"As I told you, my lovely Evie…nothing has changed. You're still just as trapped as you were, only this time it _is_ your own doing. Congratulations, you managed to outsmart a demon! Only this time the demon was yourself. So what do you say, sweet? Would you like to modify that deal? I had to refuse it. I, of course," he added sanctimoniously, "had only _your_ best interests at heart."


	34. Helpful Jealousy

_I'm still debating which plot bunny scampers by next… so in the meantime, here's some more fluff to hold ya over._

**In Which Evie Finally Starts Taking Charge, and Ash Gets a Promotion**

I could feel the tendrils of panic wrapping around my heart again. Damn it, this was really getting old. On the other hand, nothing like a new crisis to bring me out of a depression. _One day at a time, Evie. It's not over yet._ "There's a way out of this, there has to be! I am not going to spend the rest of my life here matching wits with you or anyone else. It's too freaking exhausting, for one thing, and for another, unlike _most _demons I need some positive, friendly, non-trying-to-screw-me-over interactions to keep me sane!" I insisted.

"You see why we're all rather paranoid down here," he said dryly. "And why we surround ourselves with soulless slaves who _can't _screw us over."

"Which, of course, totally justifies it," I said, the sarcasm thick enough to cut, but it did get me thinking. "Ash…when I ditch those cuffs of yours, are you going to kill me?"

"Pfft! I don't need magic to kill you. Anyway, why would I want to do that?" I gave him a skeptical _seriously?_ look and he laughed again. Clearly he was in a fine mood this morning. All of him. I tried to stay focused on his face. "All right, about six thousand years ago, if you'd pulled this little stunt on me, yes, I'd have to try, just to save face. Now? Evie, I'm the envy of the Ever After. They all watched you challenge _Newt_ _herself_ to claim me. I just became the lowest status demon here, but there's not a demon out there who wouldn't trade places with me in a heartbeat. I find the irony absolutely _delicious._"

"You're…not…mad at me." It didn't come out sounding like a question, as it was too heavy with skepticism. "Al said you were furious. Said you were going all Demon of Wrath about it because you blamed me."

"Evie, we're all liars here, you know that. I gave you to him because Newt would have killed you. And Al knows how I feel about sharing my women, so me giving him to you was a statement that I didn't want you. Then, when he came to see me, I told him he should fuck you over good while he had the chance, because I would tear you apart the next time I saw you. I made him think he had a chance at winning you over- and that I didn't have a clue about your actual nature. Can you imagine what he'd have done to you if he thought I was anything like fond of you?"

Heh. I pondered that. Al had gone through quite a shift of mood after he'd disappeared on Rachel and I, hadn't he? I had to admit Ash had made sense. Of course, he could have spent the entire night coming up with new lies to justify and re-spin everything that had happened. He did just warn me that they were all liars, after all. I resolved that the first thing we'd do this morning was make Ash a big fat truth amulet to wear on his forehead. It'd make things a lot easier around here. I smirked just thinking about it. "So you're fond of me, eh? How sweet."

"I didn't say that," he protested, looking affronted. I just kept smirking. "Though I admit to having perhaps juuuust a twinge of positive emotion when you so gallantly came to my rescue. Warmed my cold, dead heart, it did."

"I didn't do it for _you_!" I protested, equally annoyed, and it was his turn to smirk. _God, listen to the two of us_, I thought. _Doth the demons protest too much or what?_ "So are you mad or not?"

"When I got to watch you willingly bind yourself here more effectively than I ever could? When I have absolutely no doubt that you're too soft to do me serious harm? I'm just annoyed that I didn't come up with this beautiful scheme myself."

I groaned and stared at the smug demon who was still lying where I'd pushed him, giving me an incredible view of exactly just how satisfied he was with his situation. He truly was the master of evasion, wasn't he? "You _still_ didn't answer me directly. Are you going to kill me or not? Yes or no?"

"No. And anyway, I would die if I tried. If you didn't kill me first, the rest of the Ever After would take care of it in a much more creative fashion. You're safe with me."

"Hmph. Not being murdered is hardly the same as being safe. Fine, I think I believe you. Come here, I'll take the cuffs off."

He looked surprised as I took a firm grip on his arm and pulled one of the cuffs off as if it were nothing more than a piece of jewelry. "You said—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've got a bridge to sell you, too. You think I want to be stuck here with a useless demon? Hardly. You want to stay here, you're gonna work. I've just promoted you from boy toy to guard dog."

"Hey, now!" he protested. "I can't be both?"

"There's conditions," I continued, ignoring this. "No more messing with the mark unless I say it's OK. And you try any of that demon mojo shit on me and I'll—"

"Demon _what_?" he asked, bewildered.

"You know, that '_I bind you and I tame you with silver'_ shit that Al got me with. Try it and you'll be seeing stars permanently."

I made a peep of surprise as I was suddenly under him, pinned. Damn! I had hardly seen him move, he was so quick. I felt a jolt of adrenaline as I saw the furious look on his face. "_Details_," he said.

Oh my God, he was jealous. Seriously pissed. "None of your damned business," I replied haughtily. "And anyway, need I remind you that _you_ basically told him he _could_, by giving me away?"

"And you_ let_ him?" he snarled. I blinked at his vehemence. He really was pissed- and it was at me, not Al. _Fucking demons!_

"Like I had a choice?" I snapped. "Get off of me!"

"You did have a choice. He wouldn't have forced you," he said, face inches from mine. I swear his eyes were nearly glowing. Shit, and I thought _Al _was unpredictable.

"And how do you know that?" I asked. "None of you demon assholes have any qualms about raping someone! And I said, get _off_!" I glowered at him, tapping a line to give him ample warning not to piss me off, not when I was the one with the magic here.

Undeterred, he squeezed my wrists until I gasped with discomfort. It wasn't serious pain, not yet, but it was clearly a threat. "Tell me what happened," he insisted through gritted teeth.

"Why do you even care?" I shot back, anger warring with curiosity in equal measure. I watched the word his lips were forming and added, "And if you answer, "_you're mine,"_ I am going to zap you so hard you'll be gagging up lightning bolts! I have _had it up to here_ with this demon possession and ownership bullshit!"

He didn't answer, just pressed his lips tightly. _Ha! Got you there, you son of a bitch._

"You want to know what Al and I did? Then you answer me this: Why does me being willing make a hill of beans difference to any of you?"

Ash's face was rather more expressive than it usually was, and it surprised me. He was obviously fighting with himself over whether it was worth it to answer, but his curiosity- or jealousy- finally got the better of him. "All right, Evie. It's probably important that you know this anyway, to avoid any…accidents. It's because you'll kill the first demon that tries to _force_ you into sex, or tries to kill you. Or even mark you, if you're not bound by silver first."

"That's ridiculous!" I scoffed, then thought of Newt. And of the elves, targeting the demon women even _after_ they'd been rendered incapable of reproducing. And me zapping the daylights out of him when he'd tried to take my soul, or take my circle. "Oh my God. We're _stronger_ than you, aren't we?"

He rolled his eyes, but it was more at himself, I think. Sort of an embarrassed, _crap, I can't believe I told her that_ sort of look. "_No._ Well, sort of. OK, fine, there's a few things you ladies can do that we can't. Happy now?"

"You sly dog," I murmured appreciatively, looking back on all the threats and misleading statements he'd used to bully me into going along with his schemes. I thought of the words Al and Ash had said, the words that had driven me wild. They'd basically said the same thing. _I outsmarted you, I've proven my strength and intelligence, I even tricked you into wearing silver. Admit that you find that hot. Love me, baby._

I shook my head in disbelief. That was really sick. And, sadly, _hot_, I was forced to admit as I remembered the satisfied lust that had risen up in me both times. In fact, even the memory of Ash forcing me to admit he'd bested me was making my blood race again. _Shit._

"Details," he reminded me insistently, so I obligingly told him everything, from the mojo-induced smooch-fest to the climactic grab and twist, and the painful aftermath. I supposed I could have held it over him, but the answer he'd given me was far more precious to me than letting him stew in his jealousy. "And that was all?" he asked.

"Yup. Other than that, he was a perfect gentleman. For a demon. Which isn't saying much, I admit. Mostly he just smacked me around and put me to work in his kitchen. Learned some neat stuff. Like how to make a truth curse, how to make transfer medium, and how to make a demon look like a prissy Brit in a green frock coat. You ever want to look like a prissy Brit, just let me know. I've got that one memorized. Must have twisted it at least three dozen times."

He relaxed and laughed heartily. "I'm not surprised Al didn't have the balls to unshackle you. He knows you don't like him."

"Do you?" I asked curiously.

"Like Al? Not _that_ way," he said smoothly, and I giggled. "Do I have the courage to bed you without one of us wearing silver?" He hissed through his teeth as if in pain, but I could feel that there was another portion of his anatomy that was definitely _extremely _interested in the prospect. "I…I honestly don't know. As you've probably guessed, it could…have deadly consequences. For me, I mean."

_I want you. All of you. Damn the consequences. _"You stopped things after the mark and the power-pull. I thought you didn't want to kill me. But it was the other way around, wasn't it?" I asked, wonder in my voice. "But then you changed your mind and asked me anyway."

"I didn't know what you were at the time. But yes, I suspected even then it might be risky. And you don't live for six thousand years by being impulsive. It was a…calculated risk."

I snorted. "Yeah,_ calculated_. Which part of you was doing the calculating, I wonder? I somehow doubt it was your _brain_." He growled and kissed my neck, and I let my eyes slip closed, enjoying it. "Today," I continued, working to keep my voice steady even though there was an incredibly sexy naked demon on top of me doing his best to turn me on, "you are going to give me a crash course in Demon Society 101. I don't want to dig myself in deeper if I can help it, and you certainly don't want me accidentally offending the wrong person. Like Newt, for example. So you're going to tell me about life in the Ever After, and what I can expect in the next week or so."

He hummed something that sounded affirmative, still intent on the soft skin of my throat. Crap, he was starting to succeed, too. I resisted the sweet lure, and nudged him gently but firmly. "All right, all right. Put that thing away. We're getting dressed, and then you can take me on a tour of my new digs."

"Oh, so they're _your _digs now, hmm?" he asked, amused, reluctantly rolling off me to let me stand.

"Damn straight! You turned down my offer, so they're mine." I slipped off the bed and undid the ward, heading for his wardrobe. Yes, he did have one. The curse-created clothing he could call into existence had to have an origin somewhere, I mused. I took one of his shirts and donned it, deciding that my morning-after look was just modest enough to satisfy me, and immodest enough to torture him. _Win-win!_ I thought as I looked at my reflection in the mirrored door. _Damn. When did my legs ever look like that? Did they _ever_ look like that?_

I had a brief moment of concern when I realized that my limp was gone. The weakness was gone from my hand, as well. I blinked, testing my grip, and was amazed that my left hand could form a good solid white-knuckled fist for the first time since I was sixteen. Holy shit. The rejuvenation charm had fixed the damage. The _brain_ damage. I did a mental check of my spindling abilities, and found my capacity and speed had indeed increased. Hmm. I should send a thank you note to Al. I imagined what might happen with regular training sessions- could I eventually manipulate as much as he, or Ash? Perhaps even more?

_I bet he'd be up for another round. Of the torture, I mean, not the…other stuff. _

_Why not the other stuff? I liked the other stuff!_

_Thank you, Therese…now go back to your room and shut up._

Ash sidled up behind me, and I watch the pair of us in the mirror. He really was a stunning specimen, and the red demon eyes didn't look as obscenely alien anymore. And he was right, I was somewhat easier on the eyes now, too. We made quite a compelling pair, even if I looked way too young for him at the moment. Well, to be fair, he did have over five thousand years on me. He bent to kiss my neck again, strong arms encircling me, and I felt a sudden overwhelming urge to let him continue so I could watch us cavorting in the mirror. I felt my face flush with embarrassment, or perhaps excitement. _Really, Evie, grow up and control yourself!_

"Please, my _berexadtha_, let me…" he breathed hotly in my ear, and I nearly caved when his hand dipped below my stomach.

"No. Now get dressed. Promise to be straight with me, and I'll take the other cuff off. No more lying, or I'll make you wear a truth amulet and wouldn't that just be embarrassing...?"

"As you wish, love. I reserve the right to lie by omission, though," he added with a sly grin.

"Good enough," I said, and freed him. And promptly gasped in ecstasy when he filled his empty chi by drawing the line _through me_ with exquisite slowness. It took him quite awhile, and at the end of it I was ready to screw him silly, silver or not. But neither of us were shackled now, and sighing heavily, he released me. I made a mental mark on my side of the scoreboard. Evie:1 Ash: 0.

The victory would have been sweet, if Therese hadn't been banging on the basement door of my psyche, waving my libido in protest.


	35. Ash Puts the Soul Back In Solange

_Sorry for the awful pun, I couldn't resist...  
I promise there is more serious plot coming soon, I just found this "day in the life" fluffy business too entertaining. What do demons do for fun, anyway?_

**In Which Evie Deals With Paperwork, and Discovers Demon Entertainment**

"I need a what?"

"A password," he repeated. "A summoning name."

"You've got to be kidding. Why do I need a summoning name? Who's going to summon _me_?" It had only been a day, and these little surprise reminders of my new heritage could still smack me upside the head.

"It's more than just a summoning name, it's your username in the database."

"_Demons_ have a _database_?" I was floored.

"Well, yeah, you don't think we memorize _every_ little curse, do you? There's hundreds of thousands of them! Why do you think even a ley line newbie can trigger a spell with just a word of Latin?"

"Wait, you're telling me that…that every witch in reality is actually tapping into the demon database every time they cast a ley line spell?"

"Sort of," he explained. "You can memorize any spell, given long enough. But if it's a spell you trigger with a word of Latin and a gesture, chances are it's a public database spell or curse. Witches only have access to the lowest level. We don't give them access to the really potent stuff unless they make a deal."

"Demons have a database." I shook my head in bemused wonder. "Of ley line spells."

Demon Society 101 was still in session. Ash began to explain the finer points of choosing a password. Solange was listening in, busily transcribing a copy of a list that Al had submitted of everything he felt he was owed. Solange was just as busily crossing things off the list, having been there when the stuff was acquired and knowing Al for the greedy bastard that he was. She was newly re-ensouled, the first thing I had asked- or rather, mercilessly badgered- Ash into doing following his release from his cuffs.

She was still his familiar, because Ash refused to budge on that point. He might be the lowest of the low, he growled, but he still had his dignity, damn it. The only way he'd give her up would be if he found someone better, and was I perhaps interested in the position?

Ash was a tough one to threaten, but I told him if I caught him forcing Solange into doing _anything_ she didn't want to do, I'd invite Al over for a night of drunken debauchery, and make Ash watch. He'd been grumbling ever since, and I distinctly heard him muttering something along the lines of now he knew what Al had had to put up with, and envying Al that he only had to deal with his insufferable, unreasonable wench once a week.

I had been ready to pester Ash to bring Solange back to reality as well, familiar or not, but she had declined for the moment. She made a good point- to whom could she go? She continued to run Ash's household- or rather, my household, I suppose- with ruthless efficiency. She said she was willing to do so as long as I wished- though she asked if she could accompany me to reality whenever I went back, since we both trusted Ash about as far as we could throw him.

Ash had other servants as well, but they were…well, there was no kinder way to put it, irredeemable. Their souls had been used for other unsavory purposes, degraded beyond repair. It was horrifying. Death might have been kinder than keeping them, but I wasn't certain I could stomach euthanasia on humans and witches.

Ash wasn't at all repentant about it, claiming that they'd been wicked summoners who had done terrible things themselves. Mostly. Among them was the cretin who'd given Solange to Ash, an empty-eyed, scarred witch who was missing one of his hands and most of his teeth. But I wasn't in the mood for his justifications. I knew Ash was far from a saint, but this was simply _evil._ And I had to share a fucking _species_ with him, let alone be his roommate?

I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. And that day couldn't come soon enough. Thank God Solange was here.

"_Finished,"_ she said, in Latin. We'd had a big _well, duh_ moment when we realized we did have a language in common after all. Funny, you'd think with a name like _Yvette Therese_, I'd be fluent in French, but I'd been named after my dear departed mom and couldn't speak a word of it. I rarely met a person more fluent in Latin than myself, but Solange had six times the experience I did. Soon enough Ash joined us in using it. Unless he was making snide comments to one of us about the other, of course.

I looked over the list. "Aw, the conservatory really is his? I liked it. Well, crap." Disappointed but resigned, I passed it to Ash.

He looked it over without comment, shrugging without interest. "I still say you made a lousy deal," he said.

"It _worked_, didn't it?" I snapped. "Anyway, you're rich enough it's barely a drop in the bucket!"

"It's the principle of the thing," he insisted indignantly. "Al was desperate to make bail and didn't have Ceri to do his bargaining for him. He made a poorly worded verbal agreement, and I took advantage of it."

"Just blame it on me," I said, not giving a damn. It'd make Al happy, make Rachel and Pierce's lives easier, and poked Ash in one of his few vulnerable spots. Again, win-win!

"Oh, I do," he said grumpily. "You just wait until the tables are turned, I will take every last penny out of your hide."

"Just shut up and sign it, Ash," I said, as Solange smirked. Oh, yeah, the woman was enjoying this. "He's half the reason you're not playing blow-up-doll for Newt right now."

Ash did so, still grumbling. Probably he'd been rethinking his whole, "I wish I'd thought of this brilliant plan" statement of the previous day. He was even more scandalized when I made my next demand: buying back my four friends.

"Not happening, Evie," he said firmly. "Not unless I can procure four newer, better familiars. I told you, we don't _sell _familiars- we trade up." I fumed for awhile, but he remained unmoved.

"Isn't there anything I can do for them?" I demanded finally.

"Buy their souls, and return them," Solange suggested. "Better to be a slave with your soul, than without."

_Well, she'd know, wouldn't she?_ I looked at Ash expectantly.

He rolled his eyes again. "I _suppose_ I could _try_ to manage that. It'll be fucking expensive, though. Their demons won't be thrilled with the prospect of their familiars running around with souls, either. It's just not done."

"Al does it," I pointed out. "Pierce has his soul. And Rachel would have kept her soul, too."

"Al is _Al._ Everyone expects him to do the crudest, craziest, most outrageous things, the prissy little drama queen."

"Well, now there's two of you running around with feisty familiars," Solange said. "And you're the most notorious demons now, too, what with your new women. Everyone's watching you to see what happens next. Perhaps you'll start a new fashion!"

Ash favored her with a raised eyebrow, but made no reply. The last time he'd shot down one of her suggestions, she had given him such an earful of rapid French that my own ears had felt blistered. The sight of the young woman facing down her demon captor and giving him a piece of her mind was wonderfully cathartic.

"On second thought, perhaps I should have Al do the negotiating. If they know it's me who wants the souls, they'll up the price," I said thoughtfully.

"Or ask for _favors _you don't wish to grant," Solange said knowingly.

"No problem there, I'll just send Ash on over looking like me to take care of it," I said, deadpan, and Ash made a surprised choking noise of shock. "Well, isn't that what a good slave is for?" I asked him innocently. "You keep saying I'm too soft, I'm just trying to take your advice."

"I take it back," he said firmly. "You have a wonderfully perverse streak to you, love."

"So…will you do it?" I asked.

"Fuck, _no_, you bitch!" he snapped. "You've got to be kidding!"

"I meant, will you buy my friends' souls, you big dope," I said, as Solange laughed merrily.

"If you _insist_," he said with an exaggerated sigh, as if I were being completely unreasonable. "What do I get out of it?"

I groaned. He was supposed to be at my beck and call, but we played this game every time I asked him to do anything more than stand there looking pretty. "What do you want?" I asked. He bent down and whispered a suggestion into my ear that made my face flush bright red, and set my pulse racing. "For _each_ soul," he added, and I swallowed hard.

"I'll…have to get back to you on that," I said. "We'll see."

Solange looked disgusted, and no wonder, for she'd suffered his attentions unwillingly for nearly two centuries. I couldn't explain to my own satisfaction, let alone hers, why I had suffered them willingly enough. I'd not only lost the will to resist when Therese was driving, but she tended to escalate things out of control in a way I couldn't predict. She had a definite destination in mind, but whether it involved Ash, or Al, or perhaps sampling the entire lot of goods out there (Oh, _God_, no) I had no idea. I was reluctant to let her off the leash any time soon.

Ash looked far too satisfied, and returned Solange's suspicious glare with an innocent smirk. "Next agenda item," he said, handing me a stack of envelopes. "Invitations."

"Oh boy," I said unenthusiastically. "Ash, explain to me again why I can't be a mysterious recluse?" I sorted through them, noting that he'd already opened them. Just being helpful, I'm sure. _Right._ "This is for a…_rodeo_? OK, that sounds fun."

Solange shuddered. "Trust me, Evie, you don't want to go to that one."

I blinked. How bad could a bunch of demon cowboys riding bucking broncos be? It sounded entertaining, actually. But when I said this aloud, both Ash and Solange laughed mirthlessly.

"They're not breaking in animals, Evie. They're breaking in new familiars," Ash explained.

I dropped the paper as if burned, horrified. "And this one?" I asked, holding up an invitation to a retirement party.

"That's when a demon gets a new familiar, and…well…retires the old one," Solange explained, grimacing eloquently.

I grimaced, finding another invitation that was beautifully illustrated with pretty fairies. "And…and…this one, they're having a production of _A_ _Midsummer Night's Dream._ Shakesphere, right? Just a play?" I asked desperately.

"Not…exactly," Ash said. "They get a bunch of the elven familiars together and…"

"It's an orgy," Solange translated.

"Good God!" I frantically sorted through the stack to fine anything that could possibly be construed as innocent. "OK, how about this one?"

"BINGO night?" Solange cried in horror.

Ash patted her arm soothingly. "No. Never again. Even I have my limits."

I stared at them pleadingly. "Is there anything that would fall into the category of 'boring, vanilla entertainment' here where nobody dies or gets otherwise screwed in any way?"

Solange sorted through them. "There's a few that are just sort of old-fashioned ballroom dance parties with themes. This one's a masquerade. They're dull as dirt, but mostly harmless…unless you're a familiar. Oh, hey, this isn't too bad!" she said, holding up a gruesome invitation to a torture porn party. "Can I come?"

"Not…too…bad?" I said, gagging at the illustration, then turning it and deciding it looked a little familiar.

"They get together and watch bad horror movies," she said.

"And… that's all?" I asked, and they shrugged.

"It's _funny_!" Ash insisted. "It's like…kiddie cartoon night. A relaxing evening of fluffy entertainment. Occasionally someone decides to see how realistic the effects are by trying them out on someone's familiar, but it's all in good fun."

"And there's popcorn," Solange added.

I stared at them. "Y'all are real screwed up down here. You know that, right?"


	36. A Difficult Choice

_Wow, I had another happy fluff chapter all written, and suddenly Ash kicked me and told me what was really on his mind. And that he's rather tired of being pushed around...  
_

**In Which Ash Gives Evie a Cruel Ultimatum**

"All right, Ash, what gives?" I asked finally, having had it with his sniping at me. "You've been pissed off with me all day. What'd I do this time?"

Ash didn't answer, just scowled and shook his head. I hadn't seen him so moody before.

"I'm not psychic, you know," I said. "I'm a big girl, too. Out with it. This silent treatment thing is beneath you. You're not twelve."

Ash vanished abruptly, and I looked at Solange in alarm. She shrugged. "He's upset about something, really upset. His thoughts are all jagged and angry. And desperate. But that's all I can tell you."

I felt my brows furrow, and realized I was not just _envious_ of the bond Solange had with Ash, but a little _jealous_. I blinked and shook my head to clear it, not believing I would ever envy a familiar _any_ aspect of their grim existence. It would make dealing with Ash a hell of a lot easier if I knew what was going on in his head. But Solange couldn't escape the knowledge- she had to live with it all the time. She had his aura all over her. That would certainly have to be even more annoying than just not knowing.

"If he feels trapped by his situation, it's his own damned fault," I muttered angrily. "He could've bargained with me and this would all go away."

Solange looked at me in concern. "But it wouldn't," she said sadly. "He's right about one thing. If you give him his status back and leave his side, you'll be hunted and chased all over creation until someone else catches you and keeps you. You know how desperate they all are."

"I feel like a fucking brood mare," I growled. "I'm so fucking tempted to carve out my ovaries and serve them to Newt on a fucking platter with some fava beans. Maybe then they'd all leave me the hell alone. What can they be thinking, anyway? Is this any kind of place to raise a new generation of demons?"

Not that I was even considering the idea for a moment. The thought of raising a demon child was horrifying enough without contemplating doing it here in the Ever After. Good grief. The thought of raising_ any_ child was pretty nerve-wracking for a screw-up like me to begin with, as I'd have to do it as a single mom. Nope.

Solange winced. "No, but they might not…well, they probably won't give you a choice," she said gently. "They're not big on female autonomy here, if you haven't noticed."

I laughed without humor. "Uh, yeah. I'd noticed. Though I think the rules might be a little different for me, based on what Ash told me. Apparently I can be pretty fucking dangerous when riled up. I mean, I've been here for nearly two weeks now, and I've only been really hurt once." I smiled at the thought. Yeah, it had hurt more than anything I've felt since I was a kid, but now that the pain was over, the memory of the look on Al's face was _soooo_ worth it.

Solange looked skeptical. "It just means they'll have to be more subtle about controlling you. Unless we're talking about Newt, here."

"Yeah. Newt scares the crap out of me," I agreed. "Either she forgot about the trial, or she's planning something, but I didn't get the impression at the trial that she was _happy _about my existence." I paused, shivering a little. "She _laughed_."

I'd been watching for Newt like a mouse searches the sky for the hawk it knows is there, but just can't see. Ash had dragged me to one of the dull-as-dirt dances, where I'd had a lovely time. If you can call getting indecent proposals left and right, and having a jealous demon attached to my hip picking fights a "lovely time." Newt hadn't been there, thank God, but the rumors about she and myself and the aftermath of our courtroom showdown were flying.

Ash had been in a foul mood ever since, though I couldn't detect anything that _I'd _done wrong. Not after the thorough grounding in etiquette he and Solange had drilled into me the day before. Nor could I figure out what the point of going had been. If he'd been trying to dampen the curiosity about me, he'd blundered terribly- the interest was higher than ever, if the sheer number of messages that were pouring in were to be believed.

Maybe he was just pissed at me for giving the stuff he'd appropriated from Al back to the smug demon. Al had been wildly, triumphantly inappropriate during his visit, and Ash had tried to zap him twice. But it was done now, and for crying out loud, it wasn't like he had lost more than a few percentage points of his considerable "estate."

Whatever the cause, I felt uneasy having him angry at me. He and Solange were the only allies I had here. I counted Ash as an ally only because my interests where currently his interests, given that if I disappeared suddenly he'd not only lose everything, but would also probably be blamed for it. It was definitely in his best interest to keep me here, and alive. Happy and running around free from his control were not, and perhaps he was getting frustrated about not coming up with a scheme to put me back under his thumb. But demons were nothing if not patient. They were immortal, after all.

Ash reappeared as abruptly as he'd left, throwing yet another sheet of parchment into my lap. It was a brief list of four names. "The demons who keep your friends as familiars," he said shortly.

My heart gave a hopeful thump. "You found them!" My brief elation faded when I saw the barely-contained anger on his face. "What?" I asked again, all of my own irritation flooding back.

"And what am I to do with this information?" he asked, his eyes fixed intently on mine.

"I thought…you were going to buy them for me?" I said, clearly uncertain where he was going with this. He'd given me his price before, and I still hadn't decided if it was worth it.

"And what will you give me if I do this for you?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"You named your price," I started, but he cut me off.

"It just went up," he snapped.

I just stared at him in astonished confusion. "By how much?" I asked doubtfully. Beside me, Solange was looking a combination of uncomfortable and pissed, feeling his emotions as strongly as if they were her own.

"Your soul," he said. "If you persist in this, it will cost you _your_ soul. You'll give it to me willingly, and I'll do this for you."

I gasped, and Solange said, "No, Evie, don't!"

"Not a chance, Ash!" I replied angrily. "No fucking way. I'm not even considering it."

I couldn't believe it but he actually relaxed a bare fraction. But he was still not happy, not in the least. "If you don't," he said, and the hint of a cruel smile played over his lips, "I will buy them anyway. And I will finish this little obsession, Evie. I'll destroy them."

"Why the hell would you do that?" I demanded, standing to face him. He didn't retreat, and his smile grew with my outrage.

"I told you. To end this quest of yours. You will never free them, Evie. They're already damned. And unless you give me your soul, they'll be lost forever even to the afterlife, mindless and irredeemable."

I thought of Ash's own mindless slaves, forever shackled to the Ever After and animated only by his will, their own souls long since degraded beyond repair. And Ash was saying he'd do this to my friends?

"What the hell, Ash? Where's this coming from, all the sudden?" I asked, angry and confused. "You don't give a damn about them!"

"And why do you? Why do you still care, after all this time- especially given that they betrayed you?"

"Jesus, Ash, we were just _kids_!" I said. "Who knows what I'd have done, if someone screwed up the summoning like I did? I might have been just as mad. None of us considered the consequences!"

"And you still aren't, Evie! You still give no thought to the consequences of anything you've done. Or continue to do!"

"Yes, I do!" I protested, but Ash shocked the hell out of me when he put a hand to my chest and shoved me back into my seat.

"You don't, and you won't. You let your weaknesses drive you, and it will cost you everything. Why the hell are you even here, anyway? Did you ever stop to consider that? You agreed to stay here- three days a week in the Ever After, with me!- for mere _information_ about your precious friends. The chance to speak to them, to let _them_ punish you for a single mistake years ago. You got yourself tangled in demon affairs the moment you gave in to that stupid kid who wanted to find out about his treacherous grandfather."

I stared at Ash in growing rage and fear, unsure which emotion would come out on top.

"So it's come to this, Evie. You've had almost forty years to get over your guilt. Either you are damned by your mistake long ago, or you aren't. If you are, then turn your soul over to me and be done with it. Else I will destroy them. Either way, it ends here, Evie!"

I was trembling, absolutely shocked at what he was saying, both the choice he was giving me, and the realization that he was right. I'd let my guilt manipulate me into poor choices for years, even as I pretended to be smart about it. "Why?" I demanded anyway, not willing to concede his point. "It's not a fucking _weakness_, Ash, to be concerned about the lives of kids _you_ kidnapped!"

"They're not kids anymore. They've spent most of their lives here. Even Lethe wouldn't fix them now. They're lost, Evie, and if you can't accept it, I will finish the job."

I fell silent, gritting my teeth as I stared helplessly at Ash. His smile widened as he watched me struggle, enjoying the effect his ultimatum was having on me.

"Plead with me, Evie," he said, and his voice was almost sensual in his confidence. "Beg me to spare them. Or beg me to spare you. Perhaps I'll listen."

"If you kill them, I'll kill you," I said, voice low and furious.

"Mmmm. I'd love to see you try," he said tauntingly. "It's not so bad, losing your soul to me. Just ask Solange," he said.

"Don't do it, Evie," Solange replied stonily.

I felt like I was fucking sixteen again. I was in my circle, and Ash was torturing Greg in front of me. This time he had all of my friends in his grasp, and again, there was nothing I could do. I hadn't given in then, and I wouldn't do it now. Was I hard-hearted? Maybe I had a bit of demon in me, to be so unmoved. It wasn't that I didn't want to save them- obviously I did. But not at the expense of my own soul.

"No. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction, you asshole," I said. "And if I knew how, I'd blow you to kingdom come for this. I won't forget that you did this to me, Ash. Not if I have to wait a hundred years myself. If not sacrificing myself damns my soul in the eyes of anyone, then so be it. But I won't give my soul to you, _ever_. And if you kill them, I will _never, ever _forgive you."

"So be it," he said, and with a pop of displaced air, he was gone.


	37. An Even More Difficult Choice

_Yes, Ash is a total ass. But he does have a good reason. This time, anyway. Demons always have two or three reasons for everything they do. (Even if one of them is often simply, "Because I can.")_

**In Which Evie is Offered A Five-For-One Deal**

I stared at the place that Ash had stood, stunned beyond belief and absolutely furious with him. "What the fuck?" I shouted at Solange. Whether it was at Ash or because that's what Ash was feeling, she was still looking rather pissed off herself.

"Evie, wait," she said, snapping out of her daze and looking bewildered as she tried to mentally catalog what she was feeling. "I…I'm not sure he was…no, he's serious, but….there's something wrong."

"Wrong? Well, there's sure going to be something wrong if he does what he said he was going to do. I swear I will….I'll….do something really fucking nasty!" I sputtered, unable to think of a single thing I could do about it. "Son of a bitch! Why _now?_ Is that the only way he could think to hurt me? Try to get me turn over my soul? He couldn't take it by force so he'll try to coerce me into handing it over? What the devil is he playing at?"

Solange let me rant and rave for awhile, occasionally adding that, yes, Ash was a son of a bitch, and yes, he would do something like that for no other reason than he just felt like being a brute now and then.

"But what brought it on?" I crabbed, slamming myself back into my comfy chair. We were in Ash's library at the moment, where I'd been perusing books on the origins of the demon-elf wars. They'd been going on for millennia. "Why now? I didn't fucking _do_ anything!" I tried to keep from imagining what Ash was going to do to my friends. Damn it! I should have left it alone! Ash was right, I did still carry a huge, stupid chunk of survivor's guilt in me over their capture and my survival. Shit, you'd think that finding out I was a demon myself and finding myself trapped here as well would be punishment enough for whatever guilt I still felt.

But it was over now. After the rage had burnt itself out, I found myself overcome with a bleak depression again. They were gone. It was over. But I'd live. Oh, hell yes, I'd live, if only to spite Ash. I would think of any way I could to make his life absolutely miserable. Maybe I should sell him after all. I bet he'd buy me a ticket out of this place. Perhaps a ticket out for Solange, as well!

Having passed from shock to guilt to fury to depression to acceptance to vengeance (is that a stage of grieving? It probably was in the Ever After) in the space of a few hours, I turned my thoughts to working on what I would do next. Solange was happy to join in the evil plotting, as we discussed ways to avenge ourselves on Ash. We hit on a brilliant scheme of teaming up on him to get him back into the magic silver handcuffs, then…well, I don't know what we'd do, but it would be really mean.

We were only half serious at that point, having degraded into seeing who could come up with the funniest way to torture a demon, when we both jumped at the popping of the air.

"So you're back?" I snapped, whirling around. "Well, I've got…."

It wasn't Ash. Oh, bloody hell, it was Newt.

I blinked, and Solange froze in shock, shrinking back into her chair in silent terror.

Newt looked around the library, an expression of polite interest on her face. "Settling in?" she asked me, totally ignoring Solange.

"Uh." I was still trying to overcome my shock at her sudden appearance. We had wards, damn it! They were supposed to warn us if someone was coming over! "Sure," I managed. "Thanks for asking."

Newt moseyed over to the fire and began to pick up random objects from the mantel, peering at them quizzically. I glanced at Solange, clearly at a loss for what to do next. Solange mimed drinking something. "Can I offer you a drink? Solange, could you prepare something for our guest?"

Solange vanished before I'd even finished the request, eager to escape Newt's notice. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, as the silence stretched uncomfortably.

"How is Ashmedai?" she asked. "Do you find him appropriately docile, or shall I send someone to aid you in taming him for you?"

At the mention of Ash's name, I scowled. Ooooh, I was _juuuust _about mad enough to take her up on her offer. "He's fine. Though you wouldn't happen to have a curse to shrink him down a bit, would you? I need to cut him down to size. He's in big trouble right now."

Newt looked at me in surprise, then grinned maliciously. "All of him?"

I snorted, grinning back. "Just the bits that matter most to him, I think." Newt raised an eyebrow and gave me an almost approving look. "He's doing a good job of keeping the hounds at bay, otherwise," I said.

Newt nodded absently. "So you don't want to sell him, then?" she asked. "I still need a familiar, and he'd do nicely."

"Sell him? Hell no, not until he pays off every last insult he's given _me_ first!" I grumped. "When I'm done with him, then maybe you can have him. Or what's left of him. Though why you'd want that asshole is beyond me." I paused. "How much is he worth, anyway?" I asked casually, curious.

"Quite a lot," she admitted. "Four…" She paused as Solange popped back in with a tray of tea and biscuits, following the girl with her fathomless black gaze as she skittered back and blinked out of sight again. "No, perhaps even _five _familiars," she said.

I felt my heart grow cold. Five. Somehow…somehow I didn't think she'd plucked that number out of thin air. "Oh?" I asked, forcing myself to look interested. "I think I underestimated his value! Did you have something specific in mind?"

"Heard through the grapevine that you're looking for some friends of yours," she said, and this time I almost couldn't stifle the shocked gasp. I pulled it back just in time, blessing my poker-face practice. Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit _oh shit._

"Oh, them?" I asked casually. "Yeah. Ash…procured them years ago. I told him to track them down and buy them for me, if he could. Are you saying _you_ have them?"

Newt examined a figurine of an elven woman, on her knees with hands extended pleadingly to the sky, and 'accidentally' dropped it. "I could pull in a few favors, if you like. Nearly everyone in the Ever After owes me for something or another."

_And you'd love me to be on that list, wouldn't you?_ "I don't know, what would I do with four or five used, soulless familiars?" Oh shit. Ash had known. He'd known she'd make this offer, and he ran off to get them before she did- and destroy them so I couldn't trade him for them. Son of a bitch! My anger grew by a factor of nineteen. I tried to keep it hidden, but even a witch could have smelled it on me.

"That's what _I_ wondered," Newt said, eying me shrewdly. "They were friends of yours when you were young. I saw their faces in your mind…" She trailed off, waiting for me to fill in the gaps.

I was tempted. I was never so fucking tempted to screw someone over in my entire life. Trade Ash for my friends? It would be so easy! I already knew I wouldn't do it, but for a brief moment I let myself consider the possibility anyway. And promptly saw through the trap. _I can't let her know they're important to me in any way. Ash either.  
_

"Yeah, they _were_ friends of mine," I said. "They screwed me over. They betrayed me and would have sent me off to my doom, but Ash took _them_ instead. I wanted their souls, to hold them in my hand, to maybe mess with them a little. It was just a whim. I didn't realize it would be so much trouble. It's certainly not worth losing my guard dog. Ash is way more useful."

"Hmm." She sounded skeptical. "Even if I gave you their bodies and souls intact? You could reunite them as you did for Ash's girl, perhaps free them all…interested?"

God, I was tempted. "Free them? Why? They deserve what they got. Why would I want to set them free?"

Newt looked a little disgruntled. I don't think this conversation was going the way she'd planned it. She'd obviously thought she'd had a rock-solid deal, and I was blowing it off? "Perhaps I misjudged the situation," she said. The second figurine met the same fate as the first as she forgot she was holding it. She stepped forward, crunching on bits of porcelain, and pulled a small bottle from her robes. It was a clear, squat bottle with a long neck, corked and sealed with wax. Inside was a purple swirl, like mist. "I already have three of them," she said, and I blinked.

"Three of them…is that a _soul?"_ I asked, startled.

"The soul of…Russel Howard Redmond," she said, peering at a little label on the side. "He's still Andraphael's familiar, but I won his soul from Andy years ago in a game of _mahjong_."

_Oh, God._ _Red._ I tried to keep the horror out of my face and voice. "Woah. May I see? I've never seen a soul before. Not in a bottle!" I really was fascinated. They could keep souls in bottles? I'd thought Ash was joking about it! Newt obligingly let me take a look, and I peered into the formless mass inside. Creepy. I handed it back to her nonchalantly, as if it were no more than a paperweight. "Neat trick," I said appreciatively. "Maybe you could show me how to get Ash's soul into a bottle someday."

"That would be expensive," she said with a devious grin. "But easily done if he's your familiar."

"Good to know. Is there anything else you wanted?" I asked, eager to get her out of here so I could prepare for an romantic, relaxing evening of beating on my demon with a meat tenderizer. He was in going to be in _soooo_ much trouble when he came back.

Newt brightened. "Instruction, yes. It nearly slipped my mind. You need instruction. You can't rely on Ash, you know. You can't trust him. He's a male."

"I _don't_ trust him," I insisted. "But he's free. I think I know where you're going with this, and I think that your price would be quite high."

"Not at all!" she insisted. "It was my job, you know, to train the younglings. My trust." A shadow passed over her face, and she grimaced, then continued as if nothing had happened. "You can't rely on a male to train you. You need me, Yvette Therese Sinclaire."

I gazed at her shrewdly. For all I know, she was telling the truth. "I'll think about it," I said, as sincerely as I could.

"No time," she said, her expression turning ugly. "Ash tried to steal your soul once already, and tried to squeeze it out of you today. I know he did. He can't fulfill his threat, _but I can_." She held the bottle over the stone floor threateningly. "Agree to be my student, or I'll destroy them all. Solange, too. Ash has no need of a familiar anymore."

"Wait!" I said involuntarily, and she smiled cruelly at me. _Crap_. Suddenly inspired, I continued, "Don't do that, I know a guy on the other side of the lines who'd pay a fortune for his grandfather's soul!" Newt looked surprised, and I continued, "He's the one whose family tried to give me to Al a few years back. Oh, wow. What do you want for just_ that_ soul? I'd love to smash that bottle right in his fucking face!"

Newt looked disappointed and tucked the bottle away.

"Do you have Judy's?" I asked eagerly. "That bitch totally screwed me over for the sake of a guy. A stupid _guy_! You want to destroy her bottle, I want to watch! Can I talk to her first?"

Newt was regarding me with an expression halfway between annoyance and respect. "No. I'm keeping them," she said. "You can bargain for them later, if you want."

I shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. Vengeance is fun and all, but not worth giving up anything important for." Well, that was certainly true enough. "And certainly not worth a _demon familiar_,' I added with a look that said I knew perfectly well that she'd tried to cheat me out of a clearly more valuable property.

She was silent for awhile, then said finally, "You are settling in here just fine. My offer of instruction stands. When you're ready, come to me."

"Sure. Unless you think of some better leverage first," I said easily. "Good night, Newt."

Her blank eyes still fixed on me thoughtfully, she vanished.

I waited for a whole five minutes before collapsing into the chair again, shaking. Holy shit. Newt had the souls of three of my friends. She'd threatened to kill them unless I put myself under her control. The deal was so reminiscent of Ash's threat that I couldn't believe it was any kind of coincidence.

God, Ash was right about my 'weakness.' If he hadn't just forced me to renounce my friends, to give them up entirely and consider them gone forever, I'd have been completely unprepared to face Newt's offers. I'd have broken when she'd threatened to destroy Red's soul. Or if not broken, at least let slip how much it meant to me.

Crap. If I hadn't been so fucking pissed off at him, I might have let slip how important Ash was to me, too.


	38. Never Let the Demon Drive

_I wrote this one pretty quickly so I apologize if it's a bit rough. Too much to do tonight to pick at a fanfic! I figured y'all wouldn't mind too much. __**(wink)**_

_Wow, I didn't see that one coming...Therese is going to get her into soooooo much trouble. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! _

**In Which Evie Makes the Mistake of Letting Therese Drive Again**

I sat alone for a long time, having reassured Solange that I was fine. She wanted to stay with me, sensing my distress, but I really wanted to be alone at the moment.

The wards gave a familiar ping as someone transported themselves in. Ash was back, though he'd hidden himself somewhere else. Coward. Well, he'd have to show himself sooner or later. Not that I could really do anything other than yell at him. I liked the cuffs idea. Maybe I'd get him while he was sleeping tonight. Maybe I should seduce him first. Wouldn't that be mean?

I sighed. Despite my evil scheming, I wasn't really the type to follow through. It was just satisfying to contemplate. Knowing I _could_ be cruel and deciding _not_ to made me feel I had at least something redeeming over the rest of the population here in the Ever After. If I had to stay here, I wouldn't become like them. I wouldn't! The only problem was….I didn't see how I could manage it, not with every fucking demon I'd met trying to screw me over. Especially the one I had to live with. It was all too easy to see myself saying the things I'd said to Newt, and meaning them.

Knowing Ash had returned made me relax a little. I really didn't like being here alone. In our "house," I mean. Having Solange was great for company, but if someone like Newt wanted to breach the wards and do something evil to me, Solange certainly couldn't stop them by herself. I wasn't happy that he was back, and wasn't looking forward to talking to him, but at least I was safe. Safer than I was, anyway. Or rather, my body was safe, but my soul was still in ever present danger of being stolen, devoured, or otherwise stomped on. Here I was, the Princess of the Ever After, and I was as powerless ever.

"Evie."

So he'd finally decided to come back and face me? "Go away, Ash," I said, feeling nothing but dead inside. I really didn't want to talk to him, either. Satisfying thoughts of vengeance aside, mostly what I felt was small, and hurt, and tired.

He didn't, of course, but came around and sat in the chair opposite me, face blank but his posture indicating his tension.

"What part of 'go away' don't you understand?" I asked petulantly, drawing my knees up and feeling like a pouting little girl. I didn't care.

"I know that Newt was here," he said.

"No shit, Sherlock," I replied. "Go away, I don't want to talk to you."

The silence stretched again, but I wasn't going to break it. "Evie," he said again, "I know you're upset, but you—"

"_Upset?_!" I exploded. "You lied to me _again_! You _promised_, you weasel! You promised you wouldn't lie, and you did!"

"I didn't!" he insisted, the trace of his roguish grin curling his lips. "I said I'd _try_ to buy them, I didn't say I'd succeed! Everything else was simply-"

"Oh, _shut up_. I don't care. I don't want to hear it." I resumed staring broodingly at the fire. "I get it, Ash. You heard about, or figured out, what Newt was up to and decided to beat her to it. You didn't trust me. You could've just told me what was up, but instead you _lied_ to me. Twist it or justify it all you want. And now you'll say it was all for my own good, that you were only trying to protect me. I get it. I'm sure it's all very clever. I don't want to hear it."

He was silent for awhile. "All right, I'll give you that," he said. "That's what I was going to say."

"See? I'm getting the hang of how it works. And now you'll tell me that you never meant to go through with it, you were just getting me riled up so I'd be prepared for Newt's visit."

"Exactly. I was," he said. "Though I _would_ have gone through with it if you persisted in this pointless obsession," he added.

I closed my eyes, trying to force back a homicidal urge to strangle him. I rubbed my eyes with very cold fingers. So cold, everything was so cold in the Ever After. No wonder they always had fires burning. It was spiritually frigid here, no warmth to be found. "You win, I'll give it up. If Newt has their souls, then there's no way I'll ever get them back. I know better than to try, now. You'll both just have to look elsewhere for ways to manipulate me. Good luck with that!" I laughed, and the dead sound of it chilled me. "There's not much left that I care about except my own skin."

"Now_ that_ doesn't sound like you," he said, sounding a little curious.

"Nope. You should be pleased. You're turning me into one of _you_." I rubbed my upper arm, trying to warm it. "I don't think it'll take long before I'm as cold and cynical and manipulative as the rest of you. Given how easily _you'll_ screw me over, I wonder why I even bothered to turn down her offer. A five for one deal seems pretty good to me."

Ash sat up, frowning. "What offer?" he asked. "She didn't just threaten you?"

"Trade you for my friends. She offered me their bodies _and _souls. Solange's too. For you."

Ash stared at me with wide eyes. "She _did_? You're not serious! And you…?"

"I turned her down, _obviously_. It was all a trick anyway. She just wanted confirmation that I gave a damn about them. And maybe you. And don't give me that innocent look, you knew that's what she was up to! That's why you rushed off to get to them first and try to take them out, Ash! I'm not an idiot."

Ash swallowed, and I felt an unreasonable anger rising in me again. "She tried to bargain with you and you turned her down? _Newt_?"

"Yes! And thank you so much for sticking around for moral support!" I stood, wanting to hit him so badly that my hands clenched into fists. "After everything, Ash, you still didn't think to just _trust _me that I wouldn't betray you? Jesus, how much more proof did you need? After what you said to me today, I've never been so tempted in my life! You are one fucking _lucky_ demon, you know that? You ought to be _grateful_ I'm such a soft-hearted bitch, and stop trying to stomp it out of me! You're going to succeed soon!"

He looked rather sick, and I got the impression that this all had come as a bit of a shock. Yes, he was _shocked _that I hadn't handed him over to Newt. Which just reinforced my notion that had our positions been reversed, he'd have happily traded me off without a second thought, possessive nature or not. Disgusted, I hissed with exasperation and whirled away from him. "I'm going to bed. Don't follow me. I don't want to see you again tonight. I don't have the stomach for it."

I felt him catch my arm, and instinct took over. Therese whirled on him and slammed a palm into his chest, sending him reeling backwards both with the force of the blow, and from the fierce blast of energy into his mark. "Don't touch me," I hissed. "You have no right."

He clutched at his chest, grimacing in pain as he regained his balance. "Evie, listen to me," he said, his voice tight with pain.

"No. Never again." I looked at my palm, which was tingling. I felt the bond burning between us, and suddenly hated it with all my soul. "I hate you,' I said venomously. "I should have just left you to rot. I should have stayed with Al. At least he couldn't _hurt _me. He could torture and screw me, sure, but he's never touched my soul, and I won't ever let him. He's just a demon. He's not _my_ demon."

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire!" Ash growled. "You _will _listen to me!" I felt him touch my arm again, and prepared to repel him again, even more brutally. Didn't he take a hint? God, he swooped in like a vulture the moment he smelled a hint of weakness! Fucking demons!

Growling in the back of my throat, I let him have it. He grabbed my forearms with both hands and endured the pain, teeth gritted and head bowed. I suppose he could have stopped it, or zapped me back, but he didn't. He just took it, waiting it out. "I didn't know that's what she was going to do," he said, forcing the words out as I tried my damnedest to shake him loose. "She found out about your friends. I thought you'd cave. I had to make you see reason."

"And you did. You've made everything crystal clear!"

"You would have given in to her, Evie!"

"Right. Just like I gave in to you when you were torturing Greg," I snapped. "And just like this morning when you tried to scam me out of my soul!"

"It was _Newt_!" he insisted.

"She's just a _demon_," I replied, annoyed. "She's just as bad as the rest of you. I'm just as powerless against _you_ as I am against _her_, so what difference does it make who I'm pissing off?"

Ash laughed, a cold, mirthless sound, and I was surprised enough that I lost track of the angry force I was pumping into his mark, and he relaxed a fraction. "She tried to buy me. With your friends. And you turned her down. Newt!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Ash, I get it. I'm an embarrassment to the fucking species. If you ask me, your entire species _should _go extinct. The world would be a better place. What's left to save? A bunch of immature, conniving, back-stabbing little _weasels_ who happen to be good at magic! Name me one redeeming quality you possess! Even one!"

It was Ash's turn to clench his teeth, and I felt a shooting pain in my chest. Son of a bitch, he was zapping me back! "We're s_trong_!" he snarled. "We fear _nothing_!"

"Wrong! You fear _everything_!" I flung back. "You're scared of Newt, you're scared of each other, and you're scared of _me_!"

"I am not scared of you!" he growled, redoubling the force, and I felt Therese bubble to the surface in response to the pain and his comment, laughing at him mockingly.

"You _are_! You fear weakness and death! You're even scared of your familiars, stealing their souls so they can't hurt you! You're scared to trust me, and that's why you try to control me! You're so certain I'll betray you that you dare not teach me anything useful, or make contacts outside of your little circle. You don't even dare to fuck me unshackled! Admit it!"

He growled again, harshly, and I couldn't believe the amount of force he was pumping into me. How the hell wasn't I dead? Therese laughed, even though I wanted nothing more than to shut her the hell up and busy my mouth with something far more appropriate, like screaming my head off. Instead I felt something shift in me, and I was looping it back to him, slamming him with every ounce of force he was using on me. He faltered back a step, but didn't let go, and the battle of wills grew dangerously out of control.

"You'll never control me!" Therese shouted gleefully, escalating things further. _Shut up!_ I hissed at desperately at her, but she was firmly in the driver's seat, now. "I do not fear you! I'll never be afraid of you again!"

"I don't fear _you_!" Ash said, voice harsh from fury and pain. "I never have!"

"_Liar! _You're even scared to admit the truth! You are _all_ afraid of me, and what I represent! _Change_!" I pulled him closer to hiss in his face, "_Hope_!"

Ash was still furious, but now he was looking like he'd swallowed a stinkbug. I'd thrown him off his game, though, and repelled him with another serious jolt through the mark. He fell back, landing in a chair with a dazed look.

I stood where I was, feeling like I was blazing with power, heady and triumphant. _At last _I understood. I folded my arms, waiting for him to lay the demonic smackdown on me as Al had done. I was certain he could, and would, but I wouldn't run. "And now you'll try to kill me, because you can't bear to listen to me." I smiled wickedly. "I fear you, yes, but I am facing my fear. I've spent my _entire life_ conquering my fear! I'll meet you head on. And that makes _me_ the strong one!"

"I do not fear you, Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he said, slowly rising, moving like the predator he was, dangerous and deadly and nearly incandescent with rage.

"Oh yeah…?" I said, feeling my grin widen as Therese mentally licked her chops and the tiny sensible bit of me pounded its head against the wall of my psyche in frustration. I was dead. Crap on toast, as Rachel would say. I was so very, very dead. "_Prove _it."


	39. Therese Totals the Car

_Heh. I thought they'd settle this another way, but Therese is not as good as she thinks she is. I love it that my characters keep surprising me._

**In Which Evie Loses the Fight by Winning**

Ash drew himself to his full height, eyes narrowed, hands spread a little to either side, in the same pose I'd seen him in thirty-odd years back- just before he'd taken my circle and fried my chi so badly that it took me six months before I could walk again. My mind recognized it. He was gathering his power, his full power, and a rising bolt of anxiety fought against the instincts our little exchange had roused. I'd pushed him too far this time. He was angry enough to really do it, wipe me to dust. As far as the demons were concerned, they still had Rachel as a backup plan. He might actually win himself back his status if he took me out. After all, apparently we were pretty tough to kill.

I expected that I'd be felled by a panic attack, recognizing the tight band that began to squeeze and constrict my breathing. But Therese took the mental energy of it, and transformed it. She flung back her head, eyes closed in something like fierce joy, soaking in the magic of the room, of the lines, of the entire Ever After like a sponge. She even sucked it from Ash, straight through the bond. She…I…spindled it like mad, feeling the bubble expand to a size that was greater than I could have imagined, flowing through my thoughts like I was born for this.

I felt like a newborn goddess, drunk with power. My second sight expanded beyond the room in which we stood, and I could feel others, scattered oddly around me in three dimensions. I felt their surprise as my mind's eye saw them, and dismissed them. I saw into reality, too, though there wasn't much to see given how far underground we were. But my focus was on Ash, on the bright, beautiful, dangerous demon who approached me, surrounded by his ancient black aura, and under the black, the brilliant scarlet shot through with amber that I remembered. And blacker still, the mark that blazed on him, so deeply black that it was like a vortex from which light could never escape.

He halted. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but I didn't need to. If he touched me, I'd kill him. He might manage to take me out, too. Between the two of us, we would probably take out a good chunk of the local real estate, perhaps even the local population. I waited for him to make his move, still drawing on the network of lines around me, still finding room for more. I felt the watching inhabitants hastily leaving our vicinity, instinct driving them away from the conflict, demons and familiars alike.

All but one.

"Evie, _stop_!"

"Why?" My voice sounded odd. Sort of like it was miles away, coming from someone else's mouth. I didn't like the distraction. My awareness continued to expand, as I found more lines, tweaking my aura to match them and letting them flow through me. I wasn't spindling any longer, simply becoming.

"Yield!"

"To you?" I laughed. "Not a chance!"

"No, _I_ yield! Stop what you're doing, you'll kill us both!"

"So…?" I felt more alive than I ever had before. "You've been trying to kill me since we met. You've been trying to dominate me and crush my spirit, and keep me from claiming my heritage. You all are. I dare to claim my birthright, and you're about to kill me. Why shouldn't I finish this? Why shouldn't I finish as many of you as I can?"

"I _said_ I _yield_, Evie!"

"Run away, Ash." There was a part of me that was screaming in panic now, but Therese was ruthless. And implacably angry. "I'll give you a good head start. For old time's sake."

He didn't. "Evie, you have to come back! You're losing yourself!"

I opened my eyes, second sight vanishing, to see him. God, Ash was terrified. I'd never seen him lose his cool like this, eyes wide with awe and horror. Oh yeah, he was afraid of me. I'd just sent a good portion of the Ever After fleeing in terror. And I hadn't even _done_ anything yet. I imagined what I could do, if I were fully versed in demon magic. I would be deadly…as deadly as Newt.

He was right, though, I could feel my conscious control of this…whatever it was…dwindling. My consciousness was being diluted, my soul dissipating as my awareness continued to expand.

"You haven't been trained yet, you have to stop!"

"Mmmm…whose fault is that, Professor Ash?" I said in a singsong voice, feeling the insanity of the lines creeping in around the edges. The power was destroying my mind, I realized, with a feeling of helpless dread. I couldn't hold it after all, and it was going to drive me insane.

Like Newt.

"Evie!" Ash shouted again, as I felt my body swaying unsteadily. "For the love of everything holy, STOP!"

"I can't," I admitted, feeling even Therese start to become uneasy. She didn't really know what she'd been doing, either. "I'm trying. You'd better get out of here if you want to live, Ash. I'm serious."

Ash swore long and loud. "You stupid, stupid girl! You can't do what you're doing without a familiar to anchor you! _Let go of the lines!"_

I tried, but they were sticky, somehow, and it was like fighting against a strong wind. "Can't," I said, and now there was a whimper of fear in my voice. Oddly, none of this was hurting me. I was expecting the pain at any moment, but it was like being at the peaceful center of a powerful maelstrom, utterly still and quiet though my very being was beginning to dissolve around me.

Ash was still approaching. "Evie. Yvette. Listen to me. Let me in. You're going to annihilate your soul. I'll bring you back home. Either you trust me now, or you're going to kill yourself. I can only do this if you _let_ me. I am asking you to let me in."

I laughed, hysteria bubbling into sound. "Even now you'll use this to your advantage? You're a real piece of work, Ash."

I felt his hand grip my arm, but I didn't send any of the power into him. It wasn't an attack. It was something to cling to, even as my thoughts continued to fling themselves ever farther across the lines. I must have fallen somewhere in there, because I was lying down and he was bending over me, his face filling my vision. "Damn it, Evie, this isn't a fucking _trick_! I'm trying to save your life!" He was trying to keep his voice reasonable and calm, but I could hear the urgency and the fear behind it. Not to mention the deep frustration. He was facing a ticking time bomb and he knew it.

He could have run and saved himself, I thought suddenly. That was what did it. Even Therese admitted that he was putting himself on the line, here, and that had to count for something.

"Okay," I whispered, closing my eyes. "Help me, please."

NOW there was pain, as Ash dove into me through our bond and began to cut the threads of power that I'd somehow tangled and knotted around me. They lashed through us both, colder than ice, colder than death. His blackened soul wrapped around each piece of mine he salvaged, holding the edges together until they mended themselves. It was the most mind-numbingly horrifying sensation I'd ever felt, both being so shattered and having someone touch me so intimately. I was absolutely helpless, and I realized with utter horror that I'd done it, I'd really done it.

I had just given my soul to a demon. With no guarantee that he'd give it _back_.

Mortal terror filled me, and I recoiled from him, but it was far too late now. I'd let him in, given him permission. Ash was all that was holding me together. His aura entwined with mine, the deep scarlet insinuating itself through my thin green haze like tendrils of blood in water. I screamed in panic even as I felt the blissful relief from the raw agony of my dissipated aura as it was supplemented and strengthened.

_Trust me._

But I didn't trust him, couldn't trust him, and began to struggle harder against his influence even as he shoved the last remaining bits of my fleeing, broken soul back into place.

_You really are a stubborn bitch, aren't you…?_

I felt him sever the last of the binding ties, snapping me back into my body with a horrible, painful jolt that made it convulse as if seizing. I felt every muscle clench and cramp in another round of agonizing pain. Finally, it released, and I was back. And Ash was still inside my head.

Now that the immediate danger was over, his urgency had vanished. His iron grip around my soul slipped away as he retreated, leaving only the bare hint of the connection that had always been there, though it had been considerably strengthened by the contact.

I opened my eyes to see him drooping over me, grey-faced and spent. He opened his eyes to regard me coolly, his red demon eyes giving no hint as to his thoughts. He was panting, as if he'd just wrestled me back together physically as well as mentally.

He'd released my soul. It was still mine.

_I told you I would have given it back._

My eyes widened, because he hadn't said it out loud.

_Yeah. Fun, isn't it? I can hear you, too. You are nothing but trouble, do you know that? I can see I have quite a lot to teach you. Starting with how to keep you from shouting in my head. Can you turn down the volume? I have the headache from hell and you're not helping._

"Um…sorry?" I said, my voice hoarse. I was exhausted beyond belief, and my soul still felt fragmented and fragile.

_Sorry. Evie, sorry doesn't even _begin_ to cover what you just made me do. Christ. Does Al have this much trouble with Rachel? I had no idea it would be so difficult to keep a female._

I coughed, embarrassed, wondering what he was hearing from my end. Mostly it had to be _OW OW OW OW OW oh shit OW_.

_Pretty much, yeah. I swear, you'll be the death of me. You owe me big, you little wench. Come on. I have just enough energy left to…_

I was already asleep before I even hit the sheets.


	40. The Thesis Committee From Hell

_Holy cow, 40 chapters? This story was only intended as a simple "what happens when Ash gets Evie alone for 13 hours?" and the answer was simply, "Lots of yummy sex." I have to admit this is far more fun than a PWP. Again, I have an end. I might actually get there. Eventually. Y'all don't seem to mind it taking awhile, though. Thanks again, so very very much, for all your comments and encouragements!_

**In Which Evie Proves That She's Still an Academic Through and Through**

I drifted in and out for a while, feeling Ash's presence nearby as the one constant in the sea of confused sensations and emotions that still drifted through me. Occasionally I heard someone shouting, though I didn't comprehend it. Someone tried to probe into my head at one point, and I repelled them furiously, though my wounded soul shuddered in agony at the action. One extra demon in there was enough, thank you very much.

It was insane, but Ash's presence there was the one point of calm, and I clung to it. He'd brought me back, so he was hardly going to let me slip away again. I was safe, as long as he was there. It sounded maudlin, but I realized that something in my nature not only craved this, but required it. The knowledge burned. It was freaking humiliating, especially for a fiercely independent feminist like myself, to accept that I needed anyone, let alone a _guy_, let alone a five-thousand-year-old really wildly inappropriate _evil _guy, to hold me together at the moment.

The only thing that made it bearable was the realization that it wasn't because he was _male_, it was because I required an anchor. A mentor. A guardian, until I could come into my full power properly. A female elder would have worked just as well, but the only one left was Newt. She'd obviously done it before. Her trust. She'd betrayed her trust, at some point, and killed her charge. Charges? In any case, I couldn't have accepted her. I feared her too much and wouldn't have trusted her with a goldfish, let alone my soul.

Ash would have to do, then. It's not like Therese had given either of us much choice.

I didn't know where this knowledge was coming from, but it had the ring of truth to it. I stayed calm and let Ash deal with whatever problems had arisen from the incident, trusting him to keep his unspoken word that I would be safe.

Someone touched my face again, probed my aura carefully. This time Ash was allowing it, reassurance seeping in through our bond, so I let it happen. I recognized it, and recoiled in fear. It was Newt.

"…bungled this so _badly_,' she was bitching at him. "You're fortunate she didn't kill you outright."

"She let me in."

"Of course she did. But that begs two questions, Ashmedai- why weren't you _already _in? She led me to believe you were her familiar."

"Did not," I mumbled. My head ached like the freaking dwarfs of yore were forging legendary swords in my skull, using my eyeballs as anvils.

"So you're awake, are you?" Newt sounded amused and pissy all at once, a neat trick. "And the second question is, what _did _you _do_ to get her in such a state?"

"Pissed me off," I replied, wincing. How _had _that happened, anyway?

"Evie," Ash said warningly, but Newt laughed.

"Obviously! Was he trying to kill you?"

"No!" Ash protested. "Of course not! I just..." He trailed off, realizing Newt didn't believe a word of it. "She pissed me off," he admitted.

"Well, children," Newt said, as if this was the funniest thing she'd seen in weeks, "you've really done it now. She's a threat and must be contained. She'll stay with me until _I _decide she's capable of controlling herself."

"Like hell I will," I growled, and I felt Ash's sudden anger through the bond.

"I handled it!" he insisted. "And it won't happen again!"

"You!" Newt laughed again. "You've never trained a demon!" She snorted. "Al thinks he can handle it, too, and only last year he nearly let Rachel get possessed by the soul of a deranged lunatic. Neither of _you_ have the experience to do this. She belongs with me."

"I have trained familiars for thousands of years," Ash insisted angrily. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Thin, powerless shadows? Insects you can dominate and control! Ha! And how have _those_ methods been working on Miss Yvette here?"

"Not well," I said grumpily, and Ash rolled his eyes in frustration.

"I admit I have made mistakes," he said, "But I can do this! She's accepted me. She won't accept you."

"In case you have forgotten, Ashmedai, you have no status and no voice. Your opinion doesn't matter."

"_Mine _does!" I insisted angrily. "He's right, I won't accept you."

"Perhaps you'll reconsider your position if you hear the alternatives," Newt said, face going ugly. "You can be magically neutered. You can live under house arrest, shackled in silver until you accept me. Or I can take this to the courts, gain custody of you, and simply kill you." She grinned, and it was chilling. "For the good of the species."

"Now wait just a damned minute," I exclaimed, as Ash made a really interesting sound that began as an outraged growl and ended with a choking cough. "You're going to just bump me off? What about this whole _saving the species_ crap everyone's been going on about?"

"Oh…?" Newt said, a sly, cruel grin on her face. "Are you telling me you wish to _conceive_? Because that's the only real value you have, outside of the simple novelty of your youth, inexperience….and naiveté."

I sputtered, unable to form a decent answer to that one. Ash put a quelling hand on my arm, communicating in no uncertain terms to shut the hell up.

"You know perfectly well that she has other assets, Newt. A demon who can freely cross the lines? Whose soul is still clean enough to masquerade as a witch? Who can shift the lines and draw from the collective at will? Don't let your jealousy cloud your judge-"

Without warning Ash was smacked clear across the room by a really furious Newt. "_Jealous?_ Of that slip of a child?"

Ash stood unsteadily. A shimmer of Ever After cleared the cobwebs, or perhaps the concussion, from his head, and he shook himself free of the daze. "Evie's right. We're all afraid of change. You most of all."

Dali and an unfamiliar demon had popped in shortly after Newt's outburst. I couldn't help but wonder if they hadn't actually been there the whole time, given their fortuitous timing. "Nobody's going to kill anyone," Dali said, confirming my suspicion. "I hear that's what started this whole mess in the first place."

Newt was on her feet, looking outraged. I noticed that she was wearing a silver band herself- small, masquerading as jewelry as mine had been. I wondered if she ever remembered she wore it, or if it was a voluntary thing. Or maybe it _was_ just a bracelet, and the androgynous, occasionally bald demon woman just liked to feel pretty now and then. "You all felt her in the lines! What if she had tried to use them? She might have destabilized the entire fucking Ever After!"

"Now you're being paranoid,' Dali said soothingly. "When it took twelve thousand of us to create the place? One unbound female isn't going to bring it crumbling down. But please, feel free to try to take custody of her through the courts. I'm thinking of doing so myself, actually."

My heart felt a new layer of ice rime over it- what did I know about Dali? Only that given his position, he was probably a law unto himself. And that he was older than Ash, and probably just as cruel. Shit. Newt hissed in fury, and this time her magic lashed out at Dali. The demon calmly dodged whatever she threw at him, but the one by his side caught the tail end of it and collapsed in silent agony. "She's mine!" Newt hissed. "I'll not be cheated again!"

"I'm not anyone's but my own," I said quietly. " I'll wear silver until I learn control. And if you try to force me to go with either of you, I'll…I'll do whatever that was again and this time I'll self-destruct. I am so fucking tired of all of you!"

_Not on my watch, you won't._

_Shut up, Ash, that's not helping._

_I very much like your idea of wearing silver again, though. By the way, who's Therese?_

_Later!_

Newt and Dali and the newcomer weren't listening, though- the three of them were having a heated conversation among themselves. Ash was watching with a faraway expression on his face, a smirk curling his lips.

_What are they saying?_

_Hmmm? Sorry, distracted. You. Silver. _

Well, that explained the smirk, anyway._ Ash! _

_What? They're just bitching about who gets control. Same old, same old. We should be able to squeeze one last chance out of them._

_You're my…whatever…now-_

_Yazataksh._

_Yeah! That! Wait, what?_

_Guardian. No…Master. Teacher? Spiritual mentor? Hard to find a good translation. Anyway. The one in charge of you._

_Oh, brother…_

_Hey, you did it, not me._

_Well, get your mind out of the gutter! Your job is to teach me, not-_

_Never fear, I'll teach you. Lesson one: there's more than one way to twist a curse. And some of them are a _lot_ of fun._

_This is going to be a loooong apprenticeship, isn't it?_

_If I can manage it, it's going to be very _long_. And _hard_. And physically _grueling_. And-_

I slugged him before he could add on another innuendo, and the movement jarred my wounded aura in a really freaky way. My aura was thin, and his didn't quite fit and follow the movement properly. It wasn't painful like it had been when I was younger, just really odd. I remembered Rachel telling me how awful it had been being coated in Al's aura, and Solange not even wanting to talk about it. I didn't find it awful at all. Just weird. Very heavy, but not constricting.

The others were still arguing. I watched Newt carefully, wondering why she was so desperate to own me. She was absolutely furious, bordering on hysterical. Watching her, I felt a moment of empathy for the damaged demon woman. Why had she taken all those forgetfulness potions? Was it guilt? Could she possibly feel guilty for what she'd done? Did she just maybe see me as a chance to redeem her actions?

I sighed, because it was really stupid and dangerous to apply my emotions and way of thinking to a demon, but perhaps, if Ash were with me…

"Newt," I said, trying hard to sit up. I failed, managing to get as far as my elbows. I ignored the renewed pounding of the dwarf chain gang hammering away in my skull. "I get that I need training. I think you're probably right that there's things Ash can't teach me. But I won't entrust my soul to you. How about we give you regular updates? Exams, maybe. If you- AND Dali- agree I'm making reasonable progress, then-"

_Evie, Evie, Evie…you have got to be kidding. Just when I thought you couldn't make things any worse…_

Newt had been looking riveted at my words, but now she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Why _Dali?_"

"Because you both want the job, so you'll both tell me if the other is being unreasonable or trying to screw with me!" I snapped. "And in return I want your promise that you will not interfere with my training in any other way."

Dali just snickered, as if this was preposterous beyond measure, but Newt was looking at me with thoughtfully narrowed eyes.

_Interesting idea, love, but she'll never go for it._

"If…in time…we can build some kind of working relationship, Newt, then I'll consider coming to you for additional training on a regular basis. IF. IF you don't screw with me. I am tired of all the screwing. I am far more likely to be an asset to you all if I am not fucking forced, bribed, conned, or otherwise messed with."

Everyone in the room was staring at me in surprised annoyance and confusion. I felt my temper rising again. Were they really that dense?

"What? Ash is my advisor! You're my thesis committee! What's not to get?" I said, exasperated. "Do you want a properly trained new member of your society or not? You know that I'm not going to just happily and quietly go become someone's lapdog. Think of this as an investment! Everyone's happy, we're all allies, and I don't get pissed off enough to blow anyone up. Win-win!"

_Except you're back in graduate school all over again._

_Shit, Ash, don't remind me…_

_That's __**Professor Ash**__ to you, student. _

* * *

**Author's notes: **More Etymology, 'cause I'm a nerd like that:

_Yazata_ is derived from the ancient Avestan language, for "a being worthy of worship" or "a holy being." In current Zoroastrian symbolism, it's similar to a Christian angel, a guardian of knowledge. _Atarsh_ is fire, both the physical and spiritual kind. In Early Persian the word became _ataksh_. I mushed them together to get a word that sort of resembles "The being who can teach you how to play with fire without blowing yourself to kingdom come, so you'd better treat them with respect. That means you, Therese."

And earlier I had Ash calling Evie _Berexadtha_. It's a mispelling of an Avestan word which means "exalted" or "enlightened" or "beloved". I figured it could work for a word that a slave would use to address a master (though he was totally using it sarcastically).

Why Avestan? Because it's one of the oldest languages I could find, and I'm sick of Latin. ;) It's amazing what you can find on the internet these days when you're looking for inspiration! (To any linguists out there, I apologize for my ham-fisted mangling of an ancient dialect.)


	41. Community Service

_Thank you __**so much**__ for the property values suggestion, Neila…that totally inspired this chapter! (bunny ear kiss kiss)_

**In Which Evie Discovers They Still Have Charity Work, Even In Hell**

I waited to see if Newt and Dali would go for the suggestion. Dali was looking totally skeptical, but Newt was biting her lip thoughtfully. "Once a week," she said finally, and I felt a wave of relief.

"No…Once every six months," I countered. "How much do you honestly expect me to learn in a freaking _week_?"

"Once a month," she countered, and I nodded.

"That would be more appropriate, at least at first. If everything is going well then we move it to every two or three months. And Ash will help me make a new mirror so that I can contact you with questions," I offered, and Newt looked rather taken aback. So did Dali and Ash, but I was suddenly getting the feeling that I might have more than a few questions for the only other experienced female, and it might help me build up some good will on her side. If I looked like I was willing to make an effort, I mean. I'd run everything she told me by Ash, of course.

"So I am to answer your questions for free?" she said, as if trying on the idea for size.

"This is preposterous. That's not how it's done!" insisted Dali.

"Oh, really? Tell me, oh Head Honcho of the Courts, how have new demons been trained in the last few thousand years? I'd love to know. I wouldn't want to break recent tradition, after all."

He looked annoyed, but didn't have a good answer. Newt was still looking thoughtful. "It's an _investment_," I answered her. "You don't have to answer anything if you don't want. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to learn to trust you if you don't, but it's your decision."

Newt and Dali exchanged looks again. "If she's wearing modified silver, she won't be in danger of losing control again," Dali said, sounding like he was warming to the idea. "I suggest binding her with a curse to trigger if she takes the silver off and tries it again."

I bristled, but I could see their point of view. "Fine," I said, though Therese was having a hissy fit in the background. "As long as Ash can remove it if necessary. I won't be caught defenseless here ever again."

"You're awfully accommodating," Dali said suspiciously. "What are you planning?"

"Now _you're_ being paranoid! For crying out loud, I just want to live in peace! If I have to go through the graduate program from Hell to satisfy you all, then so be it! And anyway…I want to learn. This is my heritage. I'm accepting it. I want to learn it. And I want to _survive _learning it, too. Can't you just accept for once that someone's motives might just be as innocent as they sound?"

"Considering how you've played the system so far, you might forgive us for being a little skeptical of that," Dali said, and Newt snickered.

"Hey, I didn't want to be property. Still don't. I did what I had to do. Is there anything else we have to discuss?"

The unnamed demon barged forward at this point. He was as young and perfectly formed as all of them, fit and trim and dressed in an outdated business suit. And he had the officious air of a really smarmy self-important little bureaucrat, the kind who really needed to be short with greasy hair to get the full effect of his unpleasantness. "Yes, Miss Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he said, his voice unctuous. "I am Malephar, and I represent the Homeowners Association of Sector B-72, where the incident of the previous evening took place."

I looked at Ash, who was frowning and looking like he'd just been given another stinkbug to chew on.

"As you're no doubt aware, your actions had a considerably detrimental impact on the local inhabitants, such that they were required to evacuate their dwellings. What you may not be aware of, Miss Sinclaire, is that your use of the local webwork of lines in this manner violates section SEBD-23458-b of the-"

"Can you just cut to the chase, please?" I asked. "I'm new around here. I get it, I scared people, but I didn't actually _do_ anything." I noticed Ash's wince, and added less confidently, "…did I?"

'_Fraid so, love. I didn't get around to mentioning this bit yet…_

"Your unauthorized presence in the collective had the unfortunate consequence of significantly altering the resonance of the local lines, limiting access to those inhabitants who were still possessed of their bonded gargoyles-"

"Sorry, run that by me again?" I asked, as Ash snickered. He apparently found this news funny, but Mr. Malephar didn't seem to find it amusing in the slightest.

"He's saying that you've fucked up the lines, Evie. Only the demons who can pick up on the alterations can still use them to jump around. The rest are stuck having to brew curses to do it, or buy them. It's like you got onto the network and changed everyone's password on them."

"You can see how this has a drastically negative effect on local property values, Miss Sinclaire."

I had no reply for that one. "Uhhh. Sorry?"

Ash was still sniggering beside me. "We're going to have to find a new place to train you, sweet. We're being evicted."

"And there is also the small point of damages owed to those inhabitants who have yet to find and train new gargoyles for the purpose of-"

"What the hell do _gargoyles_ have to do with anything?" I burst out, still unable to parse what they were talking about.

"I'll explain later," Ash said, still finding this inexplicably amusing.

"Look, it's all right, we'll find another place-"

"I'm afraid we must insist on appropriate compensation, or we shall be obliged to seek legal counsel."

"Can't we just set the…whatever…passwords back?" I asked.

"Love, there's only three people in existence who can do that, and only one of you has a gargoyle. And he's not even fifty yet."

"This…this is one of those things only women can do, isn't it?" I guessed.

Newt snickered, too, but Dali was looking annoyed. "Community service," he said. "Ashmedai, you're going to have to have her devote at least an hour a day to fixing this snafu until she can set things right again. Assuming you want to settle out of court."

"How?" I asked plaintively, realizing that this must be a pretty darn big problem if that was the plea bargain deal.

"Stirring line-jumping curses. To distribute to your stranded neighbors. Free of charge."

Ash choked, looking outraged. "An hour a day out of her training? Stirring curses for free? That's _unacceptable_!"

"You can always give the job to her familiar," Dali said, smirking, and Ash gave him a "very funny" look, folding his arms. "Now…about the location of your training…once word of this gets around, you're going to have a hard time finding a suitable location where they'll accept you. All of the old training spaces were converted to condos thousands of years ago."

Ash looked pissed. "Well, we'll just have to reassign one of them, then. Or we'll just be forced to use my study-"

Malephar looked indignant. "I believe the residents of Sector AA-23 will have a definite opinion on that point!"

The argument that this started was starting to get heated before I finally interjected, "Look, how about we take it across the lines? No danger to anyone in the Ever After then, right?"

That got snorts of derisive amusement from everyone in the room, until I said, "Why not? I can cross the lines without an invitation! Ash can send me over and I'll summon him. Problem solved!"

"Yes, until you decide to simply run off, free as a bird, leaving me behind," Ash said. "Nice try, though."

I rolled my eyes. "If I promise to summon you, I'll summon you, you jerk." I sighed. "But if it will make you all feel better, I'll tell Ash my summoning name, and he can yank me back if I make a run for it. Happy? And NO, I am not giving it to anyone else."

_I have to admit you're getting good at this, Evie. You're one to watch, that's for certain._

_That sounds suspiciously like a compliment._

There were a few more details to hammer out, including placating the fussy schmuck from the Sector B-72 H.A. who thought that an hour a week providing public transportation was far too little to compensate the two dozen or so poor demons and familiars who would be stuck with only short-distance jumps through their local line. But unbelievably, the new pact was settled just about as easily as that. It simply remained to be seen if Newt would keep her word and back off, and if this whole field-trip-to-reality for training idea would work.

It wasn't an ideal solution, but at least I would spend a good portion of my time out of the stifling, rank spiritual and physical darkness of the Ever After. It was a start. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse.

Well, actually, it could be a lot worse, and became so once the circus had left. That's when Ash explained what _else_ had come out of the fiasco of the previous day.


	42. A New Twist On a Familiar Theme

_Ash, I love you. You are the most conniving bastard I have ever had the privilege of writing. You're lucky you're so charming. You'd better not be lying about the familiar thing, or I might just have to kill you myself._

**In Which Evie Finds Out What Else Ash Did**

"YOU DID _WHAT?_!"

"Had to, love. It was the only way to keep you whole."

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, ASH!"

"Lucky for me I got those bracelets on you before I told you, eh?"

"COME HERE, DAMN YOU!"

"Such a shame you can't walk yet. Don't worry, you'll be right as rain in a week or two."

I buried my face into the pillow and screamed in fury, unable even to sit up, let alone rip off bits of him like I wanted to.

"Look, Evie, I know you're properly horrified about all of this, but I promise you that the familiar bond is different when it is made between a master and pupil. That was the original purpose of the bond. It's not slavery, it's protection. Like…" he hunted for a good analogy, "like when you learn to drive. The instructor has their own set of brakes. You draw your power through me, first, and I can control how much gets through. You can't hurt me."

"Not while I'm wearing silver, I can't," I growled, trying to rip my new twin silver bands off and, of course, failing. "Ash, you ass, how could you _do_ this to me?"

"I told you. Your soul was coming apart at the seams, and I needed to supplement it with a small bit of my own. Your aura, as well. I had to do it. The alternatives were simply possessing you, or sealing your soul in a bottle until it made itself whole once more- neither of which seemed a good idea at the time."

"So break it! I know you can break it! I don't _want _to be a fucking familiar!"

"Well, neither do I, but you didn't give me a lot of choice. You were fighting back. If you'd just trusted me-"

"It's clear I had a pretty good reason _not_ to trust you, if _this_ is what you do the moment I let you in my head!"

"You wouldn't accept a one-way bond, not even to save your own skin, so I had to make it swing both ways. I'm not super excited to be _your_ familiar either, you know. Look, we'll give it a week. Once you've recovered, if you still want to sever the ties, then I will."

"Like you promised to remove the mark?" I asked archly, and he rolled his eyes.

"You just refuse to let that go, don't you? That's twice I've saved your life despite you doing your best to kill yourself, and this is the thanks I get?"

"I finally decide to trust you, and you made me your familiar, Ash! Your fucking _familiar_! I can't believe it!"

"Oh, stop bitching. Have I hurt you yet? Have I done anything at all? I told you, it's different between demons. The original purpose of the bond was to keep the child _safe_ as they learned the ropes. And to keep them from going off and doing something_ stupid._"

"I'm not a child! I'm pushing fifty, Ash!"

"And I lost track after hitting five thousand or so. If _you_ ever want to see five thousand, then maybe you should consider listening to me?"

That made me pause. "Are you serious? I could live that long?"

"Evie, you're a demon. You can live forever if you want. If you learn the right curses. And don't try playing Demon Goddess in the lines again."

I blinked, hard, surprised that it hadn't occurred to me before now. "Oh. Wow."

Ash took advantage of my momentary distraction to sit beside me, lending a hand as I struggled to sit up. "There are other advantages. We can sense each other's location even across the lines. I will always be able to find you. The harassment from other males will stop now that you've bound a male as a familiar. You can draw on my strength if you're ever in danger."

I bit my lip, thinking that _maybe_ this wouldn't be so bad. He was right, his aura wasn't the suffocating, burning thing that Rachel had described. Ash had already spent some time teaching me how to block the emotional part of the bond, so that I wasn't broadcasting (or rather, screaming) my thoughts and feelings into his head. I took a moment to wonder why he hadn't done the same for Solange, then decided that there was no reason for him to do so- it was just another level of control he had that she didn't. He'd also drawn a line through me before, though he had done so very slowly and carefully. It hadn't felt awful at all.

I shivered, remembering that. And I discovered something else about our bond, when Ash abruptly looked at me with parted lips and suddenly heavy-lidded eyes. I felt a surge of arousal that definitely wasn't coming from _me_. _Oh, wow._

"And I should probably mention some other rather delightful side effects," he said, as he pressed me down back into the pillows. He kissed me before I could speak, lips soft and promising. Then he drew a line though me, teasingly, achingly slowly at first, then building in strength. The energy flowed into my _chi_, then into him, in a manner reminiscent of a power pull. I moaned in wonder at the amazing feel of it, a pull that went on and on, as my chi never fully emptied. OK, maybe this wasn't so bad at all.

I hardly noticed as he insinuated himself under the covers beside me without breaking the contact, then gave me a little mental nudge to try it myself. I pulled from his _chi _first, as I'd done before, but he made me pause. With a silent instruction, he directed me to the stronger version, pulling through the familiar bond. I was hesitant, because it was so very wrong. But then, so was everything having to do with Ash in general, so why the hell not?

I gave a gentle tug at first, and with his encouraging groan I pulled harder and harder. The silver neutralized it, and I kept pulling. It was absolutely nothing like drawing energy from a mere _cockatoo_, that was certain, as different as water was from the finest wine. Ash groaned and pressed against me, tense. This was incredible. I captured his lips again, drawing more through the bond. It tasted wild and masculine, and familiar.

"_God_," he said in a hoarse voice. "I had no idea…don't stop, Evie, you can't hurt me." Ash shuddered again, head back and eyes closed in bliss. I couldn't help it, I rolled atop him, feeling my world spin dizzyingly as my thin aura moved to catch up. His aura was all around me, a nearly physical presence that slid over me smoothly, filling in the gaps of my wounded soul, protecting me, soothing me.

"More," he whispered against my lips, hands sliding over my body in a slow caress, and I obliged, pulling harder, tasting more of him and craving still more. He was right, I didn't seem to be hurting him at all, so I opened myself and let the magic flood into me.

He was right, this was exquisite. It was difficult to imagine how something so heady and exciting and delicious could have been twisted into something as ugly as it had become. There had to be more that Ash wasn't telling me about this bond. I mean, he had access to my soul, damn it, this was dangerous! Of course, right now I didn't give a darn, because the power exchange here had all of my attention.

Ash abruptly sat up, pulling me with him. We wrestled for a moment, dealing with the annoying fabric in our way. I paused in the pulling to simply enjoy the physical sensations of his heated skin against me, his eager lips exploring mine, his sure fingers trailing sparks of energy down my back. Suddenly he was inside me, moving slowly and sensuously. I gave a heated cry of encouragement, rocking with him, clinging to his shoulders. I settled into him, his heady scent filling my senses, relaxing my guard and opening myself to the line, drawing it through him hard and fast. My skin felt electric, alive, flushed with the warm, erotic heat of the power he was pouring into me. Without meaning to, I found myself using my second sight, watching the play of his black aura over my pale skin. It wasn't ugly at all, I thought, feeling it interacting and intertwining with mine, visible only as shifting bands of blankness between the black. It was oddly beautiful and hypnotic.

Ash's lips moved to my ear, and he whispered, "Your aura will repair itself, Evie. Don't worry about it." His breath was fast and hot on my neck, followed shortly by his lips, then his teeth, nipping lightly. He gave an especially hard thrust, making me gasp with pleasure, and abruptly reversed the direction of the flow again, pulling the line back through me harshly, greedily. "Hell's bells, Evie, I want to devour you,' he growled against my neck, increasing his pace.

I couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but cling to him and shiver with the force of the line that he was pulling through me. The sensation was so fiery, mingled so well with the words and the sex, that I couldn't put two words together. I felt I might die from the pleasure, dissolve into pure energy and dissipate into the ether, and I dug my nails into his shoulders to feel certain I was still physically present. Ash increased his pace, and I felt slivers of emotion from him as his control over the bond began to slip. Lust. Satisfaction. Desire. Want. Thirst. Anticipation.

I wondered briefly if my own control was any good at the moment, and got a big blast of amusement from him. No, apparently not. I felt him grin against my neck, and suddenly he playfully projected the full force of his physical arousal into me. I cried out in surprise, feeling for the first time what it felt like from his end, the wonderful, satisfying feeling of burying oneself into a willing woman, feeling her writhe and clench around you as you pleasured her. _Holy shit!_ I stared at him in shock, mouth open as I experienced the mindblowing sensations from both sides at once. We lost the pace as Ash chuckled at the expression on my face, as I was far too distracted exploring the male end of things to match my movements to his.

Oh, yeah? Well, two could play at that. I deliberately focused on the physical sensations on my end, letting him experience my side of things. The exciting, intoxicating feeling of giving oneself to someone dangerous and powerful, of feeling them slowly sliding into you, filling and stretching you. The heady feeling of both surrender and control, the sweetness of the slow build to the heady climax. I took a moment to stimulate myself with a finger as I moved against him, and watched his eyes widen as the exquisite sensations reached him.

He exhaled hard, looking incredulous, then looked at me and grinned. I grinned back, as this was bordering on silly. I felt an odd tweak on my heart, as I saw his genuine smile, not a trace of cynical humor or mockery on his face. He looked young and delighted, and I knew my face held a similar expression. Sure, I'd felt the strong lure of forbidden attraction, the crashing passion of dangerous sex, but I'd never had a chance to be lighthearted and playful with someone before. I'd never felt comfortable enough with someone to relax like this.

I swallowed, hoping that my control over the bond was back, because what I was feeling was dangerously close to genuine affection. A shadow passed over his face as well, a moment of uncertainty that creased his brow as perhaps he sensed my emotional guard rising, but I kissed him again to lessen the sting of it. I didn't want him feeling rejected, but I also didn't want to know how my demon would respond to the idea that I might actually _like_ him. Surely affection was a big old sign of weakness in Ever After culture, and I'd had enough of the head games. I didn't want to bring those back into this experience. I wanted to enjoy this for what it was.

I felt him answer my offering with renewed interest, as he returned my kiss with even more fervor, and resumed his movements. He resumed pulling the line through me, making me gasp and moan again with the heady, intoxicating pleasure of it. He played with me, altering the intensity of the pull, threading ribbons of power through my thoughts as his hands sent tingling waves down my bare skin. The momentary pause only made the new influx of energy all the more exhilarating, and I felt myself nearing a climax.

Ash, too, was making harsh noises against my lips, then my neck, worrying the skin there as if he wanted to bite me like a vampire. Perhaps he did, I thought suddenly. He and Al had both bitten me, and apparently enjoyed the taste of blood. I recalled I'd enjoyed it too, painful as the initial bite had been. The thought was suddenly irresistible, and I lifted my chin to the side in the classic _bite me_ pose, pressing his lips to my neck.

Ash could sense my desire the moment I had it, and I heard him groan harshly, eagerly. He didn't hesitate, lunging forward and sinking what felt like fangs into the soft skin of my throat. I screamed as the sharp momentary pain transformed into the most exquisite pleasure I had ever felt, and it was my undoing. The line lashed through me as he drew his tongue across the wounds. His soul touched my wounded one, his aura merged with mine. He was devouring me in every way, and I let him, unable to stop myself.

I could only hold on as the sensations rocked through me- physical, spiritual, magical, all blurred together into one blissful moment of absolute perfection. Even time itself seemed to pause for a long moment, as the line itself seemed to merge with us, until it was unclear who was drawing from whom, or whether we were even separate from the line or if we'd become it as well.

It took a few moments for my thoughts to recover, and I found myself still upright and wrapped tightly in Ash's enfolding warmth. His lips were still pressed to my neck, though they were soft against the tender spot that was starting to throb uncomfortably. But the slight discomfort of the bite was nothing to the shimmering intensity of the other sensations still coursing through me.

"My mother's ashes," Ash swore hoarsely, pressing his forehead to my shoulder. "If I could weld those bracelets onto you forever, I would. I think I might die if you ever took them off."

I laughed. "Keep me this satisfied, and I'll consider it."

He made an indistinct sound of agreement, lightly moving his hands over my skin, and I sighed with contentment.

"You say…you say that the familiar bond was originally to protect demon students?" I asked softly as we waited for my involuntary reflex to release him, and I felt him nod.

"The _master _was the familiar," he said. "_Always_ the more experienced demon. I'm actually one of the youngest of us, one of the last children born before the curse. I never got the chance to be a familiar, not in the sense in which it was intended to be. When the elves cursed our children, we lost the most precious gift we could give them. They couldn't even form the bond properly any longer. All that remained was the ability to filter the lines through the familiar. Imagine our disgust when our children couldn't even bind each other, and turned to using animals instead. _Animals!_ Over time, in our despair, we twisted the gift, using it to destroy and enslave rather than protect."

"Newt has demon familiars," I said, my heart suddenly aching for her.

"To protect her, from herself. She can't bear being treated like a child, though. She's too strong. But she still needs the bond, because her soul is damaged, and there are few of us left who are strong enough to handle it. Sooner or later, she draws too much, and the latest familiar crumbles to ashes."

"Oh." I drew back to look at him, feeling small and uncertain. "I couldn't do that to you, could I?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, though his expression was amused. "I _hope_ not," he said. "There's a reason males are wary of bedding unbound females, sweet. Though I have to admit, it's rumored to be a hell of a way to go."

"Oh." I shuddered at the thought of making love to someone and having them turn to ashes on me. _Ew. _"I'll, um, keep the silver on, then," I said meekly, and Ash laughed appreciatively.

"That's good. I take it you don't want to kill me after all?"

"No," I said, surprising myself. I did a check of my current feelings about this whole familiar thing. Pissed off? Yes. Frightened of consequences? Yes. Willing to give this a chance? Willing to try to trust him one more time?

Fuck. I was really, really stupid, wasn't I?

"Though I might change my mind at the end of the week."


	43. A Fallen Angel Finally Escapes Hell

_Sorry for the delay, I was enjoying a lovely extended weekend in Boston. And the two previous drafts were way too dark. This idea suddenly occurred to me this morning. Evie is still coping with her new situation, and decided it's time for a little payback. If she's going to be a demon, she's decided, then it's time to go all out…enjoy! _

**In Which Evie Has Some Fun Behind Ash's Back While Recovering**

"Where's Solange?"

"I sold her."

"_YOU DID WHAT?"_

"Had to, sweetie. It was the only way to protect her."

"But I own her! How dare you just send her away…?"

"Wrong! _I_ own her, and she's not a familiar anymore. So I sold her."

"You _sold_ her. _YOU_?"

"Yup. She's a nanny, now. Apparently Ceri has a kid." Ash was glaring at me impotently, shocked and furious. I returned his look with a smug, innocent look of my own.

"Ceri. Al's elf?"

"She's not _Al's_ elf anymore, and Solange isn't_ your_ familiar. _ I_ am. And apparently I'm the jealous type, Ash," I said mockingly, mimicking something he'd said to me once. "I want you all to myself."

Ash sat down, staring at me in perplexed astonishment mingled with fury, not believing a word of that last bit. "I can't believe _you_ _sold_ her."

"What, was I supposed to sit there and wait for you to just kill her off? Or sell her to another demon? She was freaking out, Ash, and you were too busy _training_ to listen to me. Or don't you remember me trying to get your attention?" I was nearly crowing with my own cleverness in beating Ash to the punch. Ha!

And it served him right, going off and capturing another poor schmuck instead of sticking around to tend to his sick student. He might be my tutor, mentor, whatever, but he'd still kept his day job. Even though he didn't need to. Asshole.

Ash looked chagrinned. "OK, I cut you off, but you were getting all sentimental on me, and-"

"And I thought you might do something nasty to her. I'm not an idiot, Ash. I learned my lesson last week. She was a weakness. I miss her, dreadfully, but she's out of danger, now. Last thing I needed was Newt- or you- deciding to use her against me."

Ash made a harsh sound of exasperation. "Evie, you_ are_ an idiot. She knows how to spindle line energy. If she tells anyone-"

"Rachel warned me about that, so I bound her with a curse."

"You _what?_ Where the hell did you get a curse to do that?" I whistled at the ceiling, until I saw his expression change into one of deep suspicion. "Out with it! What have you been up to, you little wench?"

"Me? You're the one who left me alone for nearly a week. I got bored."

"Who have you been dealing with?" he asked again, looking even more suspicious.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I said, deliberately baiting him. I was enjoying this immensely. He'd really managed to piss me off this week. I'd been mostly bedridden, unable to even jump rooms without his help thanks to the silver, and he'd ordered Solange to keep me fed and entertained. Not that I expected him to play nursemaid himself, obviously, but he might have deigned to stop by at least _once _to see how I was doing.

Instead he'd gone out and captured some summoner he'd been working on ensnaring. He'd spent the week breaking the poor fellow in. Unlike Al, who really enjoyed the process, Ash found it tedious. He enjoyed the challenge of the hunt. But Ash's clients tended to pay more for a familiar who'd been partially prepared for the indignities that awaited them, so Ash was taking care of it. I'd tried to contact him through the bond, but Ash kept ignoring me. What little I did get from him was surly and curt, mostly telling me to leave him the hell alone.

OK, my fury and disgust at what he was busy with, which I couldn't hide through our bond, probably had a lot to do with that. God, how I had ever managed to feel anything like affection for this monster was beyond me.

Solange had spent a few days being terrified that he'd sell her, too, as she'd be superfluous in our little household once I'd recovered. As soon as I'd been able to work with a line again, I'd had her help me whip up a calling mirror of my own. Then I'd contacted Rachel.

Rachel had been astonished to hear from me, especially via demonic cell phone, having feared the worst. From her point of view, all she knew was that I wasn't with Al anymore, and he had his mansion back, hardly a promising combination. Al was happy to let her think that, hardly eager to fill her in on how the trial had gone.

I explained Solange's situation, and she'd spoken to Ceri. Ceri had spoken to Quen, and Quen had spoken to Trent, and from there it was a very quick transaction indeed. Trent liked the idea of Rachel owing him a favor, Quen liked the idea of having a little more free time with Ceri, and Ceri had been happy to whip up a binding curse, forbidding Solange to speak to anyone of her ability to spindle. We wrote up a contract to the effect, Ceri had written up some other useful curses for me to try as payment, and Pierce had come to collect Solange. After a very tearful farewell, Solange had vanished with Pierce, off to start her new life as a nanny to a precocious elfin toddler.

It left me completely alone and comfortless in this cold, dead world, but at least she was beyond Ash's reach now. But the satisfaction of showing Ash Ceri's impeccably worded contract nearly made up for the loneliness I'd have to face in the future. Ceri had written Al's contracts for thousands of years, and they'd hold up in any court on Earth or the Ever After. Solange was safe. Ash was totally furious about it, but powerless to change it.

"All right, Yvette Therese Sinclaire, I have to hand it to you." he said, looking surlier than ever as he perused Ceri's beautiful handwriting. "You _aren't _an idiot."

I smirked. "Thanks." He had no idea. Pierce had returned to report that all was well, and had showed me a neat trick with the charmed silver bracelets I wore. He had one, too, after all. And he could still jump around at will. He couldn't show me how to travel the lines, not without a gargoyle of my own, but he _had_ showed me how to tamper with the enchantment on the silver. I could take them off any time I wanted. And Ash didn't know.

I'd also worked up the courage to give Newt a call. I had to meet with her in a month, after all, and Ash was busy avoiding me and not doing anything toward training me properly. OK, so I couldn't actually work with the lines, yet, but he could have at least taught me some theory. Well, I had someone else I could call, didn't I? I'd as good as promised her I'd try to build some kind of working relationship with her, so I figured I should try to show willing. And it wasn't like I had anything better to do, stuck alone with Solange gone and Ash MIA.

Newt hadn't had a clue who I was, so I had to explain everything to her again. I also explained that I needed help with the whole familiar bond thing, as Ash wasn't willing to teach me how to block my thoughts and emotions from him completely.

"And I agreed to answer questions for _free_?" she'd asked, bemused. I projected the memory of our conversation into the call, a neat trick, and I felt her give the mental equivalent of a shrug in return. Apparently I caught her in a good mood, and convinced her that my ability to keep things from Ash would be an asset to my training. I caught a very vague sense of approval from her, as well as sort of an amused "this will cause lots of trouble for everyone" kind of feeling, as she projected the knowledge of blocking the thought-sharing portion of the bond much more thoroughly than Ash had been willing to explain.

Obviously it was working. Otherwise Ash would have been a hell of a lot angrier at me. I couldn't stop the smirk, though. "So how has _your _week been going,_ dear_?" I asked playfully, knowing that it hadn't been going well. Good. I hoped the summoner gave him a hard time for weeks to come.

"Oh, shut up," he said, annoyed. "You are in a lot of trouble, young lady."

"Why? I haven't done anything that it wasn't my right to do. And you left me here, alone, bored out of my skull. You could at least have given me some homework to do. Luckily I'm a resourceful woman."

His eyes narrowed, and I could practically hear him contemplating again just how much trouble it was to keep a female. "Obviously. I can't read you at all. Who taught you to block your bond?"

"Newt," I said smugly, and he nearly choked.

"And what did you give her in return?" he asked furiously. "Tell me you didn't-"

"Nothing. She tried the souls of my friends gambit again, though. I guess she forgot it hadn't worked the first time. Then she asked what you were doing about Solange. She was obviously trying to find another weakness that would work on me. I said I'd already sold her off, had a receipt and everything. I think she was impressed. By the end of the conversation she'd forgotten she'd told me anything."

Ash shook his head. "Damn. Remind me never to leave you alone again."

"I'm ready to jump around again. I feel almost back to normal. What do you think? I can't see my own aura, but it feels pretty healed up."

Ash pressed his lips together in a silent show of annoyance at my cockiness, but examined my aura critically. "Agreed. It's time to begin your lessons. You want homework? I'll give you some homework. Come on." He grabbed my arm, none too gently, and transported us to his workroom.

Disappointed, I glanced up at him. "But…I thought we'd be going to reality for my lessons?"

Ash made a loud harrumph of disgust. "Did you forget? You have a week's worth of community service to catch up on first. Hop to it. Notes are on the table. I'll be back at sundown." He vanished to return to his task of grinding down his newest acquisition, leaving me to stew in frustration as I contemplated the pile of equipment and ingredients.

Damn it! I _had_ forgotten about that. I brought out my notes from Ceri, setting them down beside Ash's notes for generic line-jumping curses. I sighed, suddenly realizing why demons might enjoy having familiars to take care of such mundane details. It would have been very nice having Solange help me out with this tedious business, or at least to keep me company.

I got to work on the first of Ceri's curses, my smile widening. I'd thought of another way Ash could try to tie me to him here in the Ever After, and damned if I was going to trust him to "take care of it" like he'd said. My first official curse as Ash's new student was a spell for suppressing my hormonal cycles. Nothing like a good contraceptive charm to make a girl feel she had a little control over her life again.


	44. Homecoming

**In Which Ash Finally Takes a Step Forward **

I couldn't help but be excited as Ash took my arm, giving me a very stern look indeed. "You will summon me immediately," he said. I nodded, having given my word about six times already that I would do so the moment I got there.

"I will. I said I would. I've promised! When is the last time _I_ broke my word, Ash?"

His eyes narrowed again at that little dart, and he looked at the mark on my chest, visible above the low neckline of the shirt. I could tell he desperately wanted to upgrade it to a real demon mark. Familiar bond or not, if I got away from him tonight and got myself killed, I'd be lost to him. "And you'll tell me your summoning name. You said you would."

Ash and I had had a good long brawl when he'd come home. As promised, he was back by sundown, looking sullen and frustrated. He grunted at the neat little rows of vials, and rung up Malephar to let him know the first shipment was ready. He was still wonderfully angry about what I'd been doing behind his back. I was still furious about him just forgetting his responsibilities in favor of making a quick buck (not to mention the whole slavery aspect of his job, ugh). And both of us were really angry about this whole familiar business- Ash because he couldn't read me anymore, and me because he thought he was entitled to. This little exchange was the tail end of it, as we'd both concluded we had to get on with the training or Newt and Dali would be…disappointed. Our issues should wait.

Except they didn't seem to be resolved _quite_ enough yet.

I folded my arms. "I said I would tell you. You said you'd break the familiar bond. We seem to be saying a lot of things lately."

Ash looked exasperated. "You need me as a familiar if you want to survive learning our magic- the real thing, Evie, not just curses and potions."

"But_ you_ don't need _me _as a familiar, Ash. That's the bond I want to break. There's no reason now why we should keep that one."

Ash's face went blank of emotion, and I could tell I'd hit a nerve. "If all goes well tonight…" he said, though he didn't finish the thought.

"Then I'll tell you my name," I said. "But not before. For Pete's sake, Ash, this whole student thing isn't going to work if you don't treat me with a little respect, and give me a little room to breathe. You have to accept that you _can't _just control me and everything I do. You have to _trust_ me."

Ash looked away, a discontented frown on his face. "That kind of trust has to be earned, Evie."

I rolled my eyes, wanting to smack him. "I let you stick a mark on me. I didn't turn you over to Newt. I let you touch my damned _soul,_ Ash. And now I'm _trusting_ you to do your damned job and keep me alive. And all you ever try to do is-"

"Keep you _safe,_" he said. "You're so impulsive. If I break the familiar bond, I'll have no way to jump in and stop you if you do something stupid."

"You didn't need one the other night," I said. "I let you help me."

Ash shifted uncomfortably. "I_ need _that level of control, Evie. I'm your _yazataksh_."

"No, you don't need that level of control to teach me. You just think you do."

Ash folded his arms. "This is a bad idea," he said. "I think we should call this off. Until you tell me your summoning name, we'll stay-"

"Ash!" I said angrily. "You call this off again and I swear that I'll dump you and take on Al as my mentor! He'd be happy to do it!"

As expected, I saw the invisible storm clouds over his head again. "You don't trust him any more than you trust me," he said. "What's the difference?"

"I know he_ can_ trust. He trusts _Rachel_." I shot back. "You, on the other hand, I've worked with for years, and you still haven't shown me an ounce of it! I don't think I've ever met anyone as much of a paranoid control freak as you are, Al included!"

Ash looked, for lack of a better word, almost hurt. And frustrated. "Al is _Al,"_ he said.

"Al's trained demons before, hasn't he?" I replied, thinking about what Ash had said earlier, about being one of the youngest demons around. About how he'd never gotten the chance to be a familiar, a real one, the way it had been intended.

Ash nodded absently, suddenly looking a little uncertain. He really didn't know how to go about this, did he? It suddenly occurred to me that I'd been training kids myself for years, and knew that a mentor must resist the temptation to hang over the student's head making sure they did everything right the first time. That you had to let them make mistakes, had to give them room to grow, had to let them fall and stumble and blunder their way with only a nudge here and there to keep them in the right direction.

"It's hard," I said, suddenly understanding part of his problem. The mistakes I could make could be horrible and deadly. He'd have to tread a fine line, and he wasn't at all sure where to step. "You actually_ want_ to do a good job training me, don't you?" And here I'd thought this whole student thing had just been a convenient way to keep me stuck with him, under his thumb. OK, maybe it still was- but he hardly wanted me to be accidentally blowing things up left and right, would he?

He looked up at me sharply, scowling. "Of course I do, you little idiot. It's my own skin if I screw this up."

I felt my lips quirk into a lopsided smile. "Yeah. Of course." If that were the _only_ reason, he'd have no qualms about turning me over to someone more experienced. But I didn't want to push the issue. It appeared I'd be doing a bit of mentoring on my side, as well. It amused me that I might know a bit more about mentoring than my ancient demon did. Oh sure, he could train a slave, but could he nurture a fledgling?

Ash seemed to be thinking furiously, and came to some conclusion. "All right," he finally said, very reluctantly, "I'll send you over there without knowing your summoning name. I'll…_trust _you to summon me right away."

He spoke like the words tasted and stuck on his teeth like tar, but I still blinked at him in astonishment. "Really?" This was a huge concession from him! Were pigs flying, too? It was the most dangerous thing he could do, because he had no way to bring me back if I decided to cut and run. His ass would be grass if I did, when Newt found out.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and thumb. "Don't make me regret this," he said.

"I won't," I said, a real smile curving my lips now. "I promise."

"Or I will hunt you down and-"

"Oh, shut up, Ash," I said, exasperated. "I know what you'll do. Just get on with it already? The whole trust thing is about you asking me to do something _without _all the threats!"

The intensity of his stare threw me a bit. He really was certain that this was a bad, bad, bad idea. He'd been at my mercy before, but it was always due to circumstance. He'd never willingly put himself there before. His lips were pressed tight as he obviously fought back the urge to say something more, probably along the lines of more threats, but he managed to keep it in.

Abruptly I felt the warmth of the lines take me. This time I paid attention to the odd sensations of traveling the lines between the Ever After and reality, the feeling that my mind was everywhere at once, or rather, had the potential to be anywhere. I felt the protective bubble Ash had stuck around my soul to keep it together this time, realizing that part of what I'd done the other night was neglect to do so.

I felt my body rebuilt in a haze of Ever After, felt the odd sensation of my lungs filling for the first time, and best of all, found that the air I inhaled now was free of the horrible stink of burnt amber I'd almost learned to ignore. I closed my eyes just to enjoy the clean, fresh, forest scents around me, tears prickling in my eyes.

I was home.


	45. The Scene of the Crime

_You're all such a suspicious lot! *evil grin* I love you all for commenting, thanks so much for taking the time to drop me a note!_

_I don't know why, but this chapter was really difficult to write. I knew what I wanted to happen, but they kept getting all sappy and I had to keep telling them to knock it off. I'm still not happy with Ash in this chapter (he's talking too much!), but I'm trying to train myself not to be a perfectionist and to just keep posting, so here we are. If I got Ash wrong, he can just give me a good spanking later. Heehee!_

**In Which Evie Fantasizes About Ash. And Frying Pans.**

I took a moment to compose myself, then briefly pondered scribing a circle on the ground to summon him properly, just for old time's sake. Somehow it seemed…silly, after all this time, to do that. I mean, if you can't trust your _yazataksh_ outside of a circle, who can you trust?

"All right, Professor Ash, come on over," I said, after taking a quick look around to ensure I was alone. I was in a forest, it seemed. I had no clue where it was, it looked like any other forest, with a mix of pine and deciduous trees. The reek of burnt amber billowed next to me as Ash coalesced by my side, very obviously trying not to smirk and failing miserably.

I was too elated to really register his smug grin as I spun happily, excited as a little kid at Disneyland. "I'm home! My god, I thought I'd never see it again!" I grabbed Ash's hand and gave him a spin for the hell of it, surprising the daylights out of him. "Isn't it wonderful?" Impulsively I hugged him tightly, forgetting I was mad at him. How could I be mad? I was home! He'd brought me home! It didn't matter that I couldn't stay forever, or even beyond the sunrise. My feet stood on solid, cool, real earth, and above me was the open, endless black sky brilliant with white stars.

Ash watched me in bemused wonder, the tension seeping out of him. "First time I've ever been summoned and gotten a _hug_," he said. "I kind of like it. Especially the not being bound by a blood circle, that's a nice change."

"I figured that would be rude," I replied, grinning. "Though if you try to snatch anyone, I'll banish your ass so fast that-"

"Evie, Evie. I said I wouldn't snatch anyone. What were you just saying about trust? You know, asking for something without all the threats?"

I slugged his shoulder playfully. "_Touché_. So what do we do first? Can we just sit and enjoy it for a little bit? Reality, I mean?" I took a deep breath of the clean air, eyes closing in bliss.

He gave an odd little stifled humph of laughter. I opened my eyes in time to catch a very odd sort of tight smile on his face, which he wiped away quickly. "Sure," he said quietly. "I'm not in any hurry."

"What's up?" I asked, wondering what that weird little grin meant. I picked up a pine cone and began practically huffing its strong, resiny scent. The joy of not having every damned thing I touched tainted with burnt amber!

"Nothing." He kicked at a stone, then sat down on a small folding chair he'd plucked out of nowhere. When I fixed him with a stare, he shrugged. "You."

He didn't elaborate, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. OK, I _was_ being ridiculous, but give me a break, I'd been sucked into hell, certain I'd never leave. And here I was, back on the right side of the lines, standing by my demon's side without fear. Had it only been a few weeks since Ash had cornered me and tricked me into coming with him? It seemed like ages ago. I found myself smiling ruefully at him, trying to dismiss the embarrassment. "So I'm a little excited about being home. Aren't you?"

"This hasn't been my home for thousands of years, Evie. I can never decide if I love being on this side of the lines, or if I hate it." He sounded wistful, not at all as if he really did hate being here. "It hurts to leave, every damned time." His gaze dropped from the stars to meet mine, and his brow furrowed at whatever thought he'd had. As my mood had grown elated, his had grown melancholy and introspective. I tried to get a glimpse at his thoughts, but he was sealed up tighter than a drum.

Aw, this wouldn't do! I was too happy to let him stew in his funk. "But now you've got a ticket out of there, every night if you want!" I skipped over to him and pulled him back up. "Come on, let's do something fun for our first night here. We'll…go dancing or something."

"_Dancing…_?" he said incredulously, again with that little half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah! You kept your promise after all- you brought me through hell and back, we're sure not in Louisiana anymore, and we have the rest of the night in reality! Come on, you said we should celebrate!"

He touched my cheek, definitely fondly this time, no doubt about it. I blinked, wondering what was up with him tonight. Why the long face? "Not in the mood tonight, love. Maybe tomorrow."

"Ash," I said, suddenly uncertain. "What's wrong?" I had a sudden premonition that things were about to go badly south- did he have awful news for me?

"Nothing," he said again. "I was just…surprised to see you so happy, over such a small thing." I stared at him in bewilderment, and he added, "There is no joy in the Ever After, Evie. And I've never brought joy to anyone." He turned away, as if embarrassed. "I envy you."

_I will not pity a demon. I will not pity a demon, _I chanted in my head, but I still had absolutely no clue what to say to that. What do you say to that? Impulsively I flung the gates of my head wide open and sent him everything I was feeling, including the small bit of uncertainty that he'd give a damn about it,

He stiffened, brow furrowed, then raised his head to gaze at the stars again. I saw him take a deep breath and sigh it out.

Hope. I'd accused them all of being afraid even to hope for a reprieve from their exile. They'd been brought so low, for so long. "Things are changing, Ash," I said. "Even in the Ever After. Maybe for the better this time? I mean, there are probably more witches out there like Rachel and me."

His smile reached his eyes when he turned back, reaching out to take my arm and gently reeling me in. "Perhaps there are," he said quietly. "But not like you."

The kiss he pressed gently on my lips was almost chaste. I felt my face flame red. Damn it, I was blushing like a schoolgirl. And the blush had reached my heart, making it race with something other than lust. I had a light-headed moment when I forgot to keep breathing. I couldn't move, feeling my life had suddenly taken another unexpected left turn.

"Um," I said intelligently, pulling back. No. No no no! I was not going down this road, not with anyone, and certainly not with Ash! As I stared up at him, I had a sudden flashback to my youth. I was sixteen again, and as I stood with him in a ley line, I realized I was halfway in love with the smart, funny demon. He'd complimented me in front of the others, then whispered something about my rare talent for only me to hear. I knew I was his favorite of the group, and basked in the glow of his attention, feeling that I did have a rare gift that only this ancient being really appreciated. But looking back later, of course it was clear that he'd made every single one of us feel that way. That was his talent.

Just like now. And I was falling for it again, wasn't I? There was no love in the Ever After, either. The fact that I _was_ actually unique hardly mattered. Something in me couldn't help but appreciate the lengths he'd gone to, to keep me and bind me to him, even though deep down I knew- knew!- it wasn't _me _he wanted, it was what I _was_. A novelty that could give him power and status.

His gift was in making me feel like it was _me_. Suddenly I wondered if any of this shit would have happened if it'd been Al, or Devi, or any of the other demons I'd met as a teenager. I couldn't imagine feeling one half the longing for any of them as I felt for Ash as a kid. _Still_ felt, if I were honest with myself, or why else would I have done the things I'd done? God. I was such an idiot, no matter what anyone said.

Good mood souring, I pulled away further. Belatedly I realized he'd gotten all of that through the bond we shared, as I'd forgotten to stick the cork back in the bottle. My face flushed even more. Oh, God. Now he knew he'd succeeded in getting to me. Maybe he'd even seen how strongly he'd won me over, despite my struggle not to care. "Crap," I said, thoroughly embarrassed now. "It's fucking dangerous having you in my head, Ash. Do me a favor and forget you saw all that, eh?"

"Which part?" he asked, an odd note in his voice. I couldn't even look at him now.

"Just…all of it," I said. "But mostly the part where I'm a gullible idiot."

"You're not an idiot," he said. His voice had an edge, now, and I felt him sharpening it.

I winced. He was going to cut me deep, wasn't he? "But I_ am_ fucking gullible," I muttered. I grimaced and looked around for a distraction, my eyes alighting on a good-sized rowan tree about a hundred yards away on the other side of a clearing. And the remains of flowers scattered around it. I tapped the local line, just to confirm what I already knew, and recoiled as the all-to-familiar resonance of the energy seeped deep into my wounded psyche. Hurriedly I dropped it, but its taste still lingered, making me feel sick to my stomach.

"Ash, you didn't," I said, feeling all of the annoyance of the previous week come flooding back. It was almost a relief to be back on familiar territory, really. No wonder he'd been smirking when he'd arrived. The son of a bitch had brought me back to Colorado, to the scene of the crime. This was where I'd summoned him for the first time, almost forty years ago.

"You're_ too_ damn smart, Evie," he said, clearly not listening to me. "You're mostly there. Now all you have to do is learn to hate the world, and you'll truly be one of us."

"Huh?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Nothing," he said again. "We can go elsewhere, if you like. I had a reason for bringing you here, but…perhaps this isn't the right time."

"A reason other than pissing me off?" I asked, realizing _that_ was why he'd been so smug right after I'd summoned him over, the jerk.

"I always have more than one motive for anything," he said, but this time the smirk didn't reach his eyes. "I admit that petty cruelty was one of them."

"And the other?"

"No. Not tonight," he said, and I nearly kicked him.

"Ash! You will tell me why you brought me back here, or I will not give you a moment's peace…no, worse than that, I'll banish your ass for the rest of the night and let you pick me up in the morning!"

I saw a momentary irritation flicker over his face, but he laughed. "OK, I hate being teased like that, too. I spent the week considering my next move, and yes, avoiding you. That last mistake was partly my doing, and it was a near miss for us both. We can't have that again. I found my thoughts continually returning to that night you fought me off. You're stuck in the past. Here."

I shivered. "Yeah. Looking in the mirror doesn't help."

He waved my comment aside. "You're bound to this place, and you can't move on. Threats don't work on you, and neither does reason. I broke something in you that night. You're a strong woman, Evie," he said hastily, as I bristled and prepared to give him a piece of my mind, "but everyone has a breaking point. I'm an expert at finding them. I found yours without even knowing it, because you didn't let me see." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, probably for a lack of a better thing to do with them, and his obvious discomfort was almost endearing. _Damn it._

"The PTSD," I said, scowling and flushing again. I had overcome my embarrassment at my condition long ago. I thought. _Apparently not._ "You're afraid I'll have a panic in front of Newt or someone, and they'll decide I'm weak."

"I broke more than that, Evie, but yes, that's one of the consequences that we have to deal with. You'll have to get it under control before we begin your lessons in the really dangerous energy manipulation. I thought, perhaps, if we came here, we could find a way to overcome it."

"Demon _therapy_?" I asked wryly, finding this idea both repulsive and intriguing.

"I'm no good at fixing things," he said. "That's not my specialty. But _you _are."

I felt my brow furrow as I thought that over. ME? The biggest screwup of our generation? Good at fixing things? I gave him a very skeptical look, trying to figure out how he'd come to that conclusion. "The demon summoning business thing?" I asked finally. He nodded.

"You see problems, and you fix them. And you aren't vengeful or malicious about it." He gazed at me steadily. "You're methodical and careful. You aren't afraid to take risks. You summoned demons to help others. You saved my Solange. You saved us both from Newt. And yourself. Look at what you've overcome. You're most of the way there, but part of you is stuck here, clinging to something. I thought I knew what it was, but now…" he trailed off, brow furrowed again.

"I…guess so," I said, never having thought of myself that way. As a fixer. Did he really see me that way? My mind turned that around. Did it really matter if he was just flattering me? _I_ could see me that way, even if _he_ wasn't sincere. "I kinda like that, actually," I said thoughtfully. "So what was your plan? What did you have in mind, then?"

"I'm…not sure," he said, shrugging. "I don't know what you need to move on from the events of that night. I hoped _you _would. Even if it was just to beat on me for awhile," he added with a grin. "I suppose I'd let you, if it'd be therapeutic. I mean, you're wearing silver, it's not like you can kill me."

I laughed at the thought of me chasing him through the woods with a frying pan. "Tempting!" My mood was lifting again. Ash sounded totally sincere, even if he _was _the world's best liar. His reasoning was sound. Hell, if he was right, Ash was actually trying to be helpful, even if it was mostly just to get rid of one of my perceived weaknesses. "But it's no fun if you don't fight back."

He grimaced. "Ugh. _Now_ you do sound like a demon."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I replied with a grin. I paused, hearing more in my words than just playful banter. "Maybe it doesn't have to be."


	46. Evie Gets the Point

_Dude. Ash. *eyeroll* _

**In Which We Discover Ash Has Some Issues Of His Own. (Including Dental Ones.)**

Ash began to pace at my remark, still obviously disturbed by something. "It is," he replied. I felt my renewed spirits begin to die away again. It _was _a bad thing? Great. Now what? I sighed. This obviously wasn't over yet...

"Shit," he said finally, apparently coming to a decision. "All right, Evie," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Thanks to your little mental slip, I've figured out what's going on here, and…crap. It's been staring me in the face the whole time."

Oh, God… "What has?"

His face had gone blank again, and he sat, conjuring a chair for me. "Two things, before I tell you. First: I need you to promise you won't try to kill me."

I laughed, but realized that he really was serious. "Oh, shit, Ash, _what did you do_?"

"Just promise me, damn it! I'm not kidding, you're going to be fucking furious with me, even though this time I didn't intend…well, OK, I did intend to hurt you, but. Crap. Just promise me! I trust you enough to keep that promise, all right?"

I just blinked stupidly at him. Well, if he was going to flatter me like that, how could I refuse, really? "All right, I give you my word that I won't _consciously_ try to kill you. Therese might have other ideas."

He gave me a sidelong look of skepticism. "Therese?" he asked.

"My inner demon," I said, rather sheepishly.

"You…you _named_ her?" he said, incredulous. "Evie, that's…"

"Stupid, I know," I said.

"Fucking dangerous!" he exploded. "You little idiot! No wonder you've been so schizophrenic lately! Well, I suppose it's to be expected, given what I did to you. We'll have to deal with that and reintegrate you later. Good grief." He shook his head, but I wasn't sure if he really was that upset about Therese, or simply just…upset in general.

"Second?" I prompted, annoyed and wanting the other shoe to fall so I could smack him with it already.

"And second," he said, then stopped, looked annoyed at himself, and said. "Nah, forget it. Please have a seat."

"_What?"_ I shouted, more than a little frustrated myself. I was grateful he was talking- hell, he'd said more today than I'd heard him say in days! But for the love of Pete, he was being such a tease tonight!

He growled and looked heavenward in a give-me-strength gesture, which coming from a demon was pretty fucking ironic. "I wanted a last kiss, OK? Just forget it, I'm being sentimental. Sit."

Everything was feeling very ominously foreboding as I sat on the chair he'd conjured for me. I knew something horrible was about to be revealed, and for crying out loud, hadn't I heard enough horrible revelations to last a lifetime already?

"When I scarred you as a kid, I put a compulsion on you," he said, coming right out with it. "The compulsion was to seek me out at any cost."

My mouth fell open and I stared, dumbfounded. He let me digest that for a bit. "You…you son of a bitch. All that time, it wasn't survivor's guilt? It was something _you _did to me?"

"You shouldn't have been able to fight it. A witch couldn't have." He looked at his hands in contemplation, and the nails on one of them suddenly transformed to some really nasty-looking sharp claws. My eye widened as I saw that they weren't just big ass talons, but they also shone oddly brightly, as if wet. "Venom," he explained, as I gawked at them in shock. "One of the fun things we can do that you ladies can't." He smiled humorlessly, displaying a really frightening set of fangs.

I touched my cheek, where the scar had been, wondering if that was why it had healed so badly. I was too horrified to speak.

"Works just like vamp saliva, at least on witches and humans. It's where the vamps came from, actually." He looked around the clearing, reminiscing. "I must have waited for you in this damned clearing for months. How the hell could you have resisted the compulsion? I gave up eventually. I figured it didn't take. It happens sometimes. I forgot about it entirely."

My eyes were wide, staring at nothing as I recalled the agonizing depression that had consumed me, driving me toward my own destruction. How I'd fought it, through reason and logic, then alcohol, and even emotion-dampening amulets when it got to be too much to bear. The loneliness of my life, the feeling I was incomplete. My inexplicable attraction to Ash. How everything in my entire life had centered around him, avoiding him, fearing him, yearning for him yet never letting myself give in completely to him. Until lately, that is.

My face felt cold. I fought for words. "Oh, it _took_, all right," I said accusingly. "It took so well that I've been orbiting you my entire fucking life! No wonder I could never let it go!" I stood up, shaking with fury. "You mean to say everything that happened this month is because you fucking poisoned me as a kid?" I took a step back, knocking over my chair. "I…I was starting to…Jesus, Ash, I was starting to really have feelings for you- you're telling me it's all because of a fucking compulsion spell you stuck on me over thirty years ago?"

He stood too, suddenly furious. "And how do you think I feel about it? Knowing everything you've just shown me is simply an artifact of a dose of my venom in your youth? Another innocent lie? Enough! Yvette Therese Sinclaire, I remove the compulsion I placed on you."

And he did. I felt something icy flash through me with a tingle of ley line energy, and I cringed a little at the really odd sensation. Then it was gone.

I sat down abruptly, right there on the ground, evaluating and calculating and trying to determine what had changed. Something had definitely shifted, but it was too difficult to pinpoint. I was still simmering with rage at the unfairness of it all. How much had he cost me? "You took a piece of my heart that night, didn't you? I never loved anyone else. I couldn't, could I? I was _incomplete_."

He turned away. "It's like being a vampire's shadow. Always bound, even if you escape the vampire who bound you. You didn't have a choice."

He started as I threw a pinecone at his head. "You _ass!_" My voice broke, probably because my heart was too busy pounding away in my throat. Son of a bitch. This made complete sense, and he was right, I was seriously fucking pissed at him.

"You're welcome," he said wryly, eyes narrowed. "Now perhaps we can cull all these bullshit emotions and get back to business?"

"Bullshit emotions?" I raged helplessly, chucking a rock his way. I'd promised not to kill him, so I kept my ass on the ground, because if I got up, I'd rip off the silver and go for blood. "You are the most… _insufferable… unfeeling_… **_thing_** I've ever met!" There weren't harsh enough words in the English language to fling at the heartless bastard.

"Yes, bullshit emotions. Like trying to save your friends. Tell me, do you _really_ want to speak to them? To let them keep punishing you for surviving? You were never guilty about _surviving_. You were guilty because despite what I did to them, and to you, and to anyone else-"

"I wanted you. I needed you. Yeah. I got it." God, this was so mortifying that I almost wanted to die. Trust Ash to take the gift I'd tried to give him and turn it into the most humiliating experience of my life to date. What did I expect? He was a demon. Demons destroy. I certainly felt my ego was pretty well demolished right now. To wonder if I loved him was bad enough. To have it confirmed, and have it be because of fucking _demon venom_? That was just the icing on the cake.

"Well?" he asked insistently.

I stared at my hands, shaking. Could I let them go, now? Was he right? "I don't know," I said, feeling my voice tremble. "God, I let you _mark_ me! I let you see into me! I let you touch my fucking soul!" How much of it was real? Something about this struck me as completely off.

He sucked in a breath as if punched, arms still folded, though now he had what looked like a look of wicked satisfaction on his face. He was drinking in my response, eyes half-closed as if savoring it. It was reminiscent of the day he'd ordered me to beg him to spare my friends. "And you let me make you my familiar," he added quietly, pushing the knife in deeper.

I scrambled to my feet as he approached me, in full predator mode. I refused to back away, not even when he twined a hand into my loose hair. His smooth, ageless face was as guiltless as an angel, even as his grip tightened and I winced. "And you gave me _this_, as well," he said, his roaming, possessive caress making me shudder with sudden fury. How could he? How could he even touch me after this? "Give me another taste, love…?"

I'd promised not to kill him. I didn't promise not to knee him in the balls. He anticipated it and pulled me off balance, crushing me awkwardly against him. "No more illusions. No more lies," he whispered cruelly in my ear, and I felt the hint of his fangs tickle my neck. A heady jolt of adrenaline iced through me. Damn it! I was no longer under any compulsion, but I could apparently still be bespelled by him easily enough. _How fucking embarrassing._ "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

He flooded me with sensation, mark and familiar bond both flaring to life in sudden, painful ecstasy. It was so unexpected that I almost didn't feel his bite searing in my throat, adding to the soul-shattering influx. I shrieked, in mingled pain and pleasure, wondering what the hell he was doing now- and why I was letting him get away with it. He was shoving his monstrousness in my face again, the asshole-

Then I got it.

_And how do you think I feel about it? Knowing everything you've just shown me is simply an artifact? An innocent lie?_

This was his ultimate denial of…of _everything_, potential and realized, that we might have shared.

_God, we're fucked up,_ I thought, as his aura lashed around me and his lips fastened painfully on my neck. This wasn't a bite-and-lick this time- he was really having at it, really drinking my blood. _Ew_. I could have jolted him through the mark to get him off of me, but I had another, far worse thing I could do to him. I could show him my utter indifference. I nearly did it, too. Therese was getting really riled up again, absolutely furious at this latest violation of my person. She wanted vengeance in the worst way, and it was all I could do to stomp on her desire to lash out with every ounce of power she could command. I reminded her of our promise, and she chafed and threatened to bust out. She didn't understand what this was about. But I did.

_Do you know what it feels like to lose your soul, Yvette Therese Sinclaire? _

_He_ knew. He was trying to murder it again, right now. Not mine…his own.

Jesus, and he thought_ I_ was the one who needed therapy?

"Ash, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, as if I'd merely caught him poking around in my underwear drawer and not at all as if I had an angry demon noshing on my jugular.

The tone of my voice threw him, as I knew it would. I'm sure he was expecting violence, as that's pretty much what he'd gotten from me in the past week or so. "Um," he said, indistinctly, and I felt the whole wash of sensations falter uncertainly.

"Could you cut it out?" I asked reasonably. "I get what you're up to, and it's not going to work this time. _Ow_!" He'd bitten me again, harder, and I tried to keep the wince out of my voice. "Seriously, what the hell are you trying to accomplish? Sucking me dry isn't going to help me learn anything other than the delightful sensation of anemia, and believe me, I've felt that before. And I just spent the week in bed, I'm not eager to do it again. Besides, Newt will have your nuts if you put me out of commission again."

The swirl of sensation died as he pulled away to look at me in surprise, leaving nothing but the searing pain in my neck. _Yeah, that just about describes my relationship with him in a nutshell, doesn't it? _I made an _ick _face at his bloody lips. "I take it that liking the taste of blood is a guy thing, too."

"Yeah," he said slowly, totally off his game.

"Wondered about that," I said nonchalantly. I felt a bit lightheaded. "I get it, you're mad. I'm mad, too. But didn't we already establish that we have to put up with each other for a bit? Unless you want to hand me off to Newt, that is. Or Al. Not Dali, he gives me the creeps. Would that make you happy?"

He shifted an arm to support me as I began to sway a little, still feeling my blood streaming down my neck to soak my blouse at a rather alarming rate. Damn! How deep had he gone? "No," he said.

"OK, then," I replied. The edges of my vision were going fuzzy and dark. "Now maybe you could do something about this before I –"


	47. Out of the Frying Pan

_Semester's starting to get busy, but midterm grades are done and I had to celebrate with a night off to write. Just when you thought all that suspicious setup was for nothing...Gotcha!_

**In Which Evie Wakes Up Alone, Much To Her Surprise**

I opened my eyes to a really ugly bright fluorescent light, and I winced. My head felt really fuzzy. There was an itchy IV jammed in my arm, and a huge bandage on my neck.

_The hell…?_

I lifted my head, then wished I hadn't. Everything spun horribly and nausea began to bubble in my gut_. I'm in a hospital?_ I tried to get my eyes to focus, but something was terribly wrong. I tried a simple ley line charm to settle my stomach, but for whatever reason I couldn't tap a line. And I was in a fucking _hospital_!

Confused, I reached through the bond I had with Ash, trying to find him. Then I wondered why. He wasn't here, was he? _Jerk left me alone to recuperate again_, I thought sourly. Something must have gone rather drastically wrong after I'd passed out. Wait, he was OK, wasn't he? I redoubled my efforts to contact him, feeling…something, but nothing tangible like thoughts or words. Just a vague sense of yes, he was there. Out there. Somewhere. On the other side. Probably sneezing a lot now.

Oh.

I'd been in hospitals before. Turning my head and feeling the world spin, I located the call button beside my bed and pressed it. Pain amulet. Where the hell was a pain amulet? Why were they just letting me sit here without pain relief, sick and hurting as I was?

A male nurse arrived, bringing with him a strong scent of disinfectant and aftershave. His own nose crinkled a little at my own burnt amber stink, as I'd been marinated in it for weeks. I don't think he meant to show it, and then I realized that he wasn't a witch, he was human. Double ouch, if it was so bad that a _human_ thought I reeked. "You rang?" he said.

"Where am I? What happened?" I asked, hearing how raspy my voice sounded. "And can I have another amulet for the pain?"

"Amulet?" he repeated. "The dilaudid isn't enough?"

"You drugged me?" I asked incredulously. Was that why I was feeling so nauseated and high? "What's going on?"

"Some folks brought you in. Don't you remember? They drove off the demon who was attacking you."

I choked. "They did _what_?"

"There's a history of demon attacks in that area, didn't you know? What were you doing out there, anyway? Did you summon it?"

I had no idea how to answer that one. The truth was, well, _yes_. I had. Hardly something I wanted everyone to know! "They banished him?" I asked instead.

"There's circles and charms planted all over that area after that last attack. Watchers been watching for it- or the summoner- to come back. Six witches were already building the circle when you passed out, didn't you hear them? I guess you both were pretty distracted, huh? You're lucky, another minute or two and you'd have been worm food. Or worse."

"Oh." Well, son of a gun.

"So what were you doing out there?" he asked again, not unkindly. "They thought you might be the summoner, but they said you're wearing charmed silver and there's smut all over your aura. Can't see it myself, but they were pretty afraid of you. So you're here, in the secure ward, just in case."

"And drugged to the gills," I added muzzily, realizing what the nauseating feeling was. "Look, can you tell me what time it is?"

"Ten of ten," he replied, glancing at his watch. "AM," he added, misinterpreting my look. "It can't come back now, you're safe."

"Until sunset, anyway," I murmured. Swell. It was morning. I'd lost the entire night? Oh, man, Ash had to be pissed. I only wish I could have seen his face when he realized he'd been nabbed.

"Back in a minute," he said. "Gotta tell the IS that you're awake." He wandered off before I could protest. Crap. Just what I needed. On the other hand, time to see how the old demon-curse vanity charm held up, eh…?

"I have to ask, miss, did someone give you to him? Is that what the silver was for, to keep you helpless?"

I tried to look demure and helpless as I made up a cock and bull story for the two guys from the IS Arcane Division about being kidnapped and given to a demon. It was quite melodramatic, and I had a hard time keeping a straight face.

"If you know who the summoner was, any information you can give us would be really helpful."

My kidnapper was a horrible woman with a scar on her cheek and a southern accent, I told them. She had no pity whatsoever, and her demon's name was Ash. No, I didn't know what she got in return. Yes, he was a wicked, wicked thing who was playing with me before dragging me off to the Ever After. Look at the mark he'd put on me! And he'd made me his familiar, could you believe it? Oh, yes, that's why my aura was so smutty- I was covered in his. Where were my heroes? I had to thank them for saving my soul from that vicious brute! Now if only there were a way to keep me safe after sunset, because he'd be back…

I sneezed at that point, and realized Ash was nudging me back. How the hell was I supposed to answer him without a calling mirror, I wondered?

"Allergies," I explained, as the sneezes became more insistent.

The two IS officers looked at each other, dissatisfied with my explanation. "The woman you're describing was demon-napped in Louisiana over three weeks ago," they informed me. "She's a known summoner and black arts practitioner."

I bristled inwardly. I was _not!_ How dare they? I mean, I knew the coven had probably shunned me after that whole Devi-blowing-up-the-subway incident two days prior, but that wasn't my fault, damnit! It was his curse, not mine, and I hadn't summoned him that night in the first place! So unfair.

"Really?" I asked, innocent eyes wide. "Holy cow. How'd she get away?"

"We were hoping _you_ could tell _us_, Miss Sinclaire," the tall one replied.

Oh, shit. I sneezed again. "Why would I know? And my name's not-"

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire," the fat one finished. He showed me the truth amulet he'd been holding hidden in his palm, and I felt my face blushing. Oops. "Nice vanity curse, by the way."

Swell. "It wasn't my idea," I said. "It's rather a long story. And it's mostly true. I _am_ a demon's familiar now, and not by choice."

At least the amulet glowed a cheerful green at that.

"As you know, the Coven has never looked kindly on this demon-summoning business of yours, Miss Sinclaire. It was only a matter of time before you slipped up. The demons who kidnapped you did several thousands of dollars worth of property damage in the process. Not to mention that you have been linked to the disappearance of several witches and warlocks who were seen coming to consult with you-"

"Look, I can explain that!" I insisted. "I have records of their signatures, waivers…"

"Can you explain the deaths of Blaise and Kevin Makenzie?"

"They tried to give me to Al! It wasn't my fault!" I tried to suppress another sneeze and failed.

"And perhaps you could explain to us how four children were abducted from these same woods, nearly forty years ago, and you alone lived to tell the tale?"

"I was fucking _brain damaged_ after that, for Pete's sake! I _barely_ survived!" I insisted, growing alarmed. The IS hadn't even been _around_ before the Turn. I'd thought I'd found all the records of that incident and taken care of them- including my true name. Apparently they'd found something I'd missed.

Yeah, I thought suddenly. Mary and Derek Makenzie. Shit.

"There is a rather incriminating pattern here, Miss Sinclaire," the tall man said severely. "The Coven was very concerned after your near escape here, when you allowed a demon to dismember two innocent people after escaping from a circle that, I might point out, was held by you alone. A single witch, holding a demon circle by herself?"

"I have a PhD in line manipulation, and a masters in demonology" I said hotly. "I _think_ that I am _more _than qualified enough to bind a demon with a triple-wound circle! And I _saved_ two people, did the Coven mention that?"

The fat man, playing the good cop, was still consulting his truth amulet, but now he was looking skeptical that it was functioning properly. "Miss Sinclaire, I'm afraid we have to take you into custody, for your own protection. You don't seem to realize the gravity of the situation."

"I just spent _three weeks_ in the fucking Ever After being smacked and pawed and jerked around by at least four different demons- don't tell _me_ I don't know the gravity of my situation!" I snapped.

The two IS cops glanced at each other, looking rather sick. "We have counselors available if you wish to talk about what happened to you. I'm sure it was horribly traumatic. As you still have your soul, we will do our best to break the familiar bond between you and the demon. But we will need your cooperation and its summoning name to do so."

"You can do that?" I asked, intrigued.

"We don't know, to be honest," Good Cop said. My eyes were still too drugged to make out his real name. "We've never seen a familiar escape the Ever After on their own before."

"First time for everything," I muttered. Could I escape Ash and Newt so easily? No, it was a dream. Ash was right. I couldn't stay here. The Coven would bury me before it would let the truth come out, and they would find out soon enough- just as soon as word got out around the Ever After that I'd gone missing. I had to get Ash to come pick me up before I landed us both in even worse trouble. But he didn't have my summoning name, and I had no way to contact him without a piece of magnetic chalk.

Until sunset, anyway. I'd just have to say his name. And wow, was he going to be one _angry_ demon.


	48. EV Phone Home

_Sure, I'm probably taking a lot of liberties with the whole holy ground/demon thing, but the rules haven't been established very well, and what fun would it be if Ash could just whisk her away? _

**In Which Evie Makes a Phone Call.**

"May I make a phone call?" I asked, and was, of course, denied.

Crap. Not only was I stuck in a hospital, but witches refused to treat me due to my smutty aura and my shunning, the humans were afraid of me, and the only folks who would stick around to treat me were the living vampire staff. Which, given my recent experience, I was a little gun-shy around (though even the undead avoided feeding from sick people like the plague, no pun intended). And on top of that, they'd crammed me in the one room I couldn't easily use demonic intervention to escape from.

The chapel.

"This is ridiculous," I said again, eying my new holy quarters with mild interest and wondering why I wasn't banned from entering them myself. Apparently I wasn't demon enough? Or maybe holy ground only worked on the demons who were bound to the ley lines of the Ever After? "I haven't done anything wrong! I'm the victim, here!"

"I'm sure the Coven representative will agree, once they get here to have a look at you, Ms. Sinclaire." Jocelyn, a kind-faced but stern nurse, was my current jailer.

I sighed, wondering if I could get them to leave me alone long enough to make a calling circle. I didn't have the equipment to make a mirror, but I figured blood on linoleum would work well enough. Assuming the black curse could even be performed on holy ground. I knew that some could, but this was a spell specifically to talk to those in the Ever After.

"Could I at least have something to read? A crossword puzzle? Anything?"

Jocelyn took pity on me and got me a copy of the current paper and a short pencil. I read my exciting headline at the top, "Demon Captive Rescued," and the various articles regarding the other disastrous summonings in the area. Apparently my story had created quite a stir. I had fun reading about myself, though I fumed at the sheer quantity of details they'd gotten totally wrong. At least the warnings about "don't try this at home" were very clear. I turned to the crosswords and sighed, feeling the minutes tick by like years and getting very concerned indeed.

If the Coven got here before I could get away, I was probably screwed. Even the human who'd been tending me knew that my story didn't add up at all, and the six witches who'd "rescued' me had heard enough to deduce that whatever Ash and I had been up to, it hadn't been a simple game between a demon and his new toy. Certainly the Coven would figure out what was up, and then, if Rachel was to be believed, I'd be sent to Alcatraz, Antarctica, or worse, lobotomized and sterilized.

Heh. Sterilized I could handle, but the thought of that lobotomy I'd been dodging for years really chilled my blood. I kicked myself again for not just giving Ash my summoning name like I'd said I would. I couldn't possibly have imagined a scenario where I'd be involuntarily separated from him and would want to get the hell back over to the Ever After, but here it was.

I had plenty of time to think as I solved the_ soduku_ puzzle and the other word games, examining my emotional state. Given that I'd admitted to Ash, involuntarily, that I was falling for him way harder than a student should be allowed to crush on her mentor, I was surprisingly cool with it. At least I wouldn't have to try to keep it hidden. But what the hell was going through his head?

Our past interactions took new shape, all over again. Intimacy, fear, then anger and disaster, over and over. I wondered if Ash had an inkling of what he was doing, deciding he probably didn't. The look on his face as he brought forth the beast within, shoving his darkness into the light and forcing me to witness it- was it really pleasure I'd been seeing? Or simply what I'd been expecting to see? Maybe my demon wasn't really a sadist at all, but a masochist instead. And he thought he'd figured me out.

_Heh. Joke's on you, Ash. That compulsion you removed? Sad to say, it didn't do shit. Maybe I've lived with it for too long. Something shapes you long enough, the outline remains even if the original is removed._ And maybe there was a bit of instinctive demon reactions thrown in there, too, or how else could I explain the whole Al-incident?

"Can you tell me about shadows?" I asked Jocelyn, bored of the paper and wondering just how much vamps shared in common with my venomous demon lover.

"Huh?" she said, surprised that after such a long silence, this was what I came out with. "What about them?"

"The compulsion part. How…well, how compulsory is it?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously. "Look, I've never made a shadow and I'm not going to start, so if you're worried about-"

"No, no, no," I insisted placatingly. "I'm just curious. I think that's what the demon was trying to do to me last night, since he was playing vampire at the time, and I want to know more about it." Well, not entirely true, but close enough. "How much choice and free will does the shadow have?"

She gave an eloquent grimace. "It's not a very nice aspect of vampire life, I admit. But there's different levels of it. The best version is the scion, and the worst bond is the shadow. A shadow doesn't even have free will anymore. It's like the vampire holds a part of their soul hostage and they can't even resist. They look and act normal, but once the vamp wants something, the shadow is compelled to do it."

Certainly not what Ash had done, I thought, though he'd said that he thought perhaps it didn't take. "And a scion?" I asked.

"Well, same deal, except the vamp shares their strength and abilities with the bonded one. It's the best deal for both, especially if the stronger vampire is an undead. And if the scion's far enough away, they can sometimes resist a compulsion."

"Is there ever a case of a scion or shadow completely resisting a compulsion from a really strong, really determined undead vampire?"

"A scion, _maybe_, but a shadow? Oh, no. Not even with distance. It's why I don't ever want to be a scion to an undead, myself, though you can't imagine the power and status that come with it."

I mulled over this some more. "Can an undead make another undead their scion?" I asked next, having a feeling I knew the answer.

She looked shocked. "Of course not! Why would they want to? And anyway, they couldn't feed off each other, the virus would kill them both."

"Oh." Well, that was as far as my comparison with demons and vamps would get me, I thought. Surely demon venom hadn't evolved for the purpose of putting compulsions on demon females or lesser beings. Mostly because the demon females I knew wouldn't stand for it, myself included. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that Ash had been right the first time. It hadn't taken, not fully. Perhaps it had always been there, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to account for my feelings.

Working with Ash for years, hanging out with him and playfully allying with him against particularly irritating summoners, matching wits and trading barbs, sharing the occasional late night as he taught someone a new trick and teaching me in the process…? Yeah. I think that accounted for much more. _Demon venom, my ass._

Though now I kinda wondered what other neat little tricks demon males had up their sleeves. Other than being physically stronger, and total pains in the neck. Literally.

"Was that helpful?" Jocelyn asked.

"Yeah. I think it was," I replied. "I'm not feeling any compulsions, anyway. I just wondered if I'd know, given that he's a world away now."

I went back to my crossword, not really seeing it. Instead, my eyes fell on the silver bracelets on my wrists, and the added precaution of an IS-issued zip strip. I had a sudden inspiration. Why on earth was I still wearing these stupid silver bands, anyway? Hadn't Pierce showed me how to remove them? And what the hell, wasn't I a ley line witch? I'd been hanging out with demons too long, powerless. I'd forgotten that I _wasn't_, in fact, helpless.

Jocelyn took a magically-induced nap shortly thereafter, and I hit the door of the room with a temporary lock. I wished ley lines charms lasted longer than a few minutes. Quickly I got to work on my calling circle, pricking my finger with a spare needle I'd swiped from a drawer by my bed earlier in the day.

I invoked the curse, having drawn my hasty circle on the newspaper with pencil and blood in three minutes flat. I took the smut quickly and hoped that the fresh burnt amber stench wouldn't wake the sleeping vampire. The sleep charm itself would only last a few minutes, but once asleep, there was no reason she would wake up immediately- except for the fact that vamp noses were just as good, if not better, than witch noses.

_Ash!_ I called out into the weird echoing space of the collective.

He picked up immediately, worry clearly evident in his thoughts. _Where the hell are you?_

I smiled, relieved, at the familiarity of his mental voice. _In a hospital, thank you very much! What the hell happened?_

_What do you think happened? We were caught in a circle, and I was banished, genius! Tell me your summoning name, and I'll bring you out of there._

I told him.

And waited.

_...Ash?_

_What the fuck? It's not working!_

I blinked, not having expected that. _Why not? How could it not be working? I did what you told me to do, set the password like you said…_

He was silent for a moment, confusion and irritation clearly swirling in his thoughts.

_Is it because the sun's still up? _ I asked._  
_

_Shouldn't make a difference, not to you, especially not in this direction of travel. Where are you?_

Oh. _I'm in the chapel. Do I need to get off holy ground?_

_You can walk on holy ground? Heh. I wonder why. Yeah, maybe. _

_Um…I can't really walk right now. I'm drugged to the gills, dizzy from lack of blood, and there are IS officers right outside the door._

_Crap. CRAP!_

_Ash? The Coven's found out about me. They're coming to collect me. Rachel had a run-in with them, and if they figure out what I am, they'll either kill me or neuter me. Keep trying to get me back, all right? I don't know how much longer I have before they figure out I'm talking to you._

I recast the sleep charm on the sleeping vampire before she could begin to stir, but I was feeling more and more anxious that my almighty demon couldn't help me out, and we'd both be screwed. I could tell he felt the same way.

_I'll figure out something. Damn it, Evie, can't you just _once_ stay out of trouble for longer than ten minutes?_

_I fail to see how this is _my_ fault, Mr. Bitey._

_Ha ha ha. _

_Ash? I'm sorry I didn't tell you my name earlier. I should have. I was just really mad._

I caught a really strong swirl of confusion from him, a complicated mix of frustration and appreciation and something that smacked of his usual cockiness. _Don't worry, love. I know how you can make it up to me. _

_Does it involve more biting? _I asked wryly, not having enjoyed that last session very much at all.

_Oh yes. But only the fun kind._

He hung up before I could respond, and I shook my head in amusement. Apparently he was prepared to pretend last night didn't happen. Well, if that's how he wanted it, I'd play along for now.

First things first, I had to get home.

And paused, realizing that for the first time, I'd thought of the Ever After as home. _What the hell is wrong with me?_


	49. Drunk Dialing

_Thank you again, all you lovely reviewers. You all know reviews are like crack, right? ;)_

**In Which Evie Threatens Al's Jewels Again  
**

I took a moment to wonder whether I should hide the evidence of my demon chat, or risk making another phone call and having it discovered that I could slip out of my zip strip and charmed bracelets. It wasn't that I didn't trust Ash to get me out of there, but sitting back on my duff and waiting for my black knight to come save me just didn't sit well with my ego.

Maybe it was the drugs addling my brain, but I decided to risk discovery, and gave Rachel a call. After all, I reasoned, rescuing familiars was her job, right…?

_Evie, is that you? _

_Yes, and I'm in trouble._

_I can't really talk right now, I'm-_

_Why, if it isn't Yvette Therese Sinclaire!_ I jumped as another mental signature joined us. Al. Brilliant. I glanced at the newspaper. Swell- it was Sunday. Rachel's lesson with Al was in full swing. _Stop making my student sneeze, her syntax sucks enough as it is._

_Al! Get off the line! Jeez, I didn't even know you could do that._

_Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt_. I couldn't keep the anxiety out of my thoughts. Poker faces I could do, but this whole emotion-sharing business was hard to block.

_In a spot of trouble, are we?_

_No! Just…um…calling to say hi,_ I thought, knowing that would sound lame even if I were saying it rather than thinking it.

_Al, can't I just have two minutes of privacy to-_

_No, my itchy witch, you can't. Yvette, you are a terrible liar. And you're _stoned_, too! What _have_ you gotten yourself into? _

_I don't want _your_ help!_ I said quickly. _Rachel's help, sure, but I am not going to owe _you_ for anything!_

_Tsk! You're such a stingy little bitch. Anyway, you already owe Rachel one favor. And what's hers is mine, after all. _

_Hey! Don't you dare give her a mark because of me, Al!_

_Umm…_This was unwelcome news indeed. _Never mind, I'll just deal with the Coven on my own._

_The Coven? Crap on toast, what happened?_

I weighed my options. Tell Rachel, Al finds out too? Don't tell Rachel, trust Ash? Crud, I was no good at this. _I got caught. I'm in a hospital in Colorado. On holy ground. The Coven's on their way. _

I felt Rachel's horror and Al's mingled amusement and curiosity together in my own head, which was one of the weirdest things I'd ever experienced_. _Al's amusement only increased when I added desperately, _And if you tell Newt or Dali, Al, I will castrate you myself!_

_On holy ground, you say? I suppose that is why your lapdog hasn't summoned you home, yet? I've always wondered whether a summoning could snatch someone off holy ground. Do you hear that, itchy witch? Looks like I cannot summon you straight from your bed for a night of passion any time soon, such a shame._

_Thank God!_

_Interesting that a sanctified space still accepts your presence. For how much longer, I wonder?_

_Yeah…interesting,_ I said wryly. _I'd call it fucking annoying at the moment. I'm going to clean up the evidence of my circle, guys. Forget I called. I won't accept any more marks, Al, I mean it!_

_Oh, I'm sure we could come to an alternative, mutually pleasurable arrangement,_ he said lasciviously, and I broke the connection in annoyance. Crap, _that _was a lovely mistake. If Al told Newt I would be screwed.

Well, I'd certainly be screwed if anyone found me out of my silver bonds. I slipped on the bracelets and zip strip again, then considered how to dispose of the calling circle. I thought about burning it, but the stink of burning paper would be a definite giveaway. Instead I ripped out the page and folded it into a tiny little wudge, wrapped it in a towel and tossed the towel across the room into the used linens bin with the hope that the scent would be hidden under all the other scents in there. I kept a small tear of paper from it as a focusing object, just in case I needed to go for broke and burn it later It wasn't smart to leave samples of one's blood lying around.

I was feigning sleep myself when Jocelynn woke up with a start in her chair. I pretended to do so myself, returning her stare innocently as she looked at me suspiciously, then saw that I was still passive and bound by silver. "Everything all right?" I asked her.

"I don't usually doze off in the job," she said, now completely annoyed with herself.

"You told me this was a double shift…I was going to wake you, but you looked like you could use the nap," I said kindly.

"Hmph," she said, still clearly bothered. She glanced at the amulet above my heart monitor, the one that registered how much energy I was carrying in my chi. It was dead, the color of normal redwood. She got up and opened the door to see the two bored living vamps stationed outside, both obviously unperturbed by any mysterious demon shenanigans going on in the room behind them. She shrugged and shut the door again.

"How do you feel?" she asked, giving my vital signs a once-over and checking the IV with the drug to ensure I was well dosed.

"I'd really prefer a pain amulet," I said, touching the bandage on my neck and feeling an answering throb. "Whatever this stuff is, it's making me terribly queasy."

"Sorry, hon, they won't distribute them to shunned witches. I could turn down the dose a little, though." She began to adjust the rate of the drip. "Let me know if the pain gets too bad. You're going to have a pretty bad scar. Your demon really had it in for you- those bites are some of the deepest I've ever seen."

"Nah. He would've fixed me right up if the witches hadn't saved me. It was his pattern. He'd hurt me, then heal me. It's part of the…_training_…" I trailed off as if I couldn't bear to go on. "He only brought me to reality to taunt me. Joke was on him, huh?"

Jocelyn's furrowed brow eased a little as she smiled. "Yeah. I'm glad—"

We both looked up as someone walked in. My heart sank as I recognized the man. Adrian Wister, a young, gawky-looking earth witch, and one of the six elected members of the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards. The youngest and lowest ranking member, but still deadly in his way.

I wasn't sure if I should be insulted, but if they'd sent their least experienced member, then they might not think I was much of a threat. I hoped I could keep it that way.


	50. An Unexpectedly Civil Interview

_Things are getting wrapping-up-the-semester crazy at work, now, which is eating into my free time, as well as the time I have to play with my characters in my head. So it looks like once a week or so is going to be my new update schedule. Unless the muse comes and whacks me over the head again! (She does that now and then, to the point where I just can't sleep unless I write first)_

**In Which Evie Meets Her (Latest) Nemesis**

We spent a moment sizing each other up. We'd met before, when the Coven had given me a minor smackdown over the whole Al-dismembering-the-McKenzies incident years ago. He looked just a little older than Rachel, and, from the grim expression on his face, had obviously acquired a lot more experience in the intervening years. He locked the door, then hung an amulet right off of the IV bag after invoking it with a finger prick. I guessed it was a sound-dampening amulet that would keep our conversation private.

"Miss Sinclaire, you're looking…young," he said, his voice conveying his disapproval of the vanity curse I was sporting.

"Yeah, thanks. Someone on the other side took offense to the scar and decided to pretty me up a bit. Not my idea. How can I help you?"

Adrian winced at my reference to my time in the Ever After. He sat in a chair nearby, and sipped some coffee from a paper cup. He placed the truth amulet on the bedside table, in plain sight. Of course he'd have one. He was probably packing two dozen different primed amulets loaded with white charms. White, but no less lethal in the hands of an experienced Coven member. "Miss Sinclaire, you are aware that you have been shunned?"

"I figured as much. I kinda guessed you'd blame me for the subway incident. It wasn't my doing, I didn't summon Devi that night. I can tell you who did, and why, if you care."

He glanced at the amulet, surprised that it was still glowing a complacent green. "Oh. OK, then, would you testify to that effect if we asked you to?"

I blinked. He was being awfully polite to a shunned witch. "Um, sure? I have nothing to hide." I blushed, then scowled, as the amulet flashed me a cheeky red. _Thanks, you little tattle-tale._

His eyes returned to mine, a half smile on his face. "Would this thing you're hiding be the fact that you're kin to demons?"

I bit my lip, frowning even more. Well, I couldn't lie. "Do you mean like Rachel Morgan? No, I'm not like Rachel Morgan."

Adrian's evasion sensor was obviously pinging. "Your blood has the full complement of demon enzymes, Miss Sinclaire, and they are fully functional. We tested it when I got here. Yet you don't have Rosewood syndrome. Can you explain that?"

I just sat with my lips pressed together in displeasure, knowing that there was some kind of recording device on him and not wanting to have my confession on record. They obviously knew already. _Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a world where they needed permission to invade your privacy like that?_

"Look, we know that you've been in contact with Rachel Morgan, who's probably told you all about her experience with the Coven. I assure you that we are not about to make the same mistake twice."

"Oh? And which mistake was that?" I asked archly. "Sticking her in Alcatraz without a trial? Threatening her with lobotomy and sterilization? Persecuting her for simply being what she is?" My neck was throbbing by now, as the drug had mostly ebbed from my system. I felt far more clear-headed, though I would've killed for a pain amulet. I might be a demon, but I didn't enjoy pain any more than the next person. Being a shunned witch sucked. Witches don't donate blood, _ever_. On the rare occasions we need a transfusion, there are spells- spells that weren't available to a shunned witch. So I'd been getting IV fluids to replace the lost volume, but since human blood would kill me, that was all I was getting.

Adrian had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "All of the above."

"Really? You're not going to try to bury me?" I was deeply suspicious. I'd been spending the last three weeks with beings who were always out to screw me, after all.

The younger witch took another sip of his coffee, trying to hide his nerves. He wasn't frightened of me…much…but he was socially awkward and I wasn't making this conversation any easier on him. "I don't blame you for being suspicious. But given that there have been three witches surfacing in the past decade with our ancestral abilities restored, one of them- you- having no connection to Trenton Kalamack of Cincinnati, we can only assume that this might represent a trend. We've been monitoring you for quite some time, and the blood test we gave you confirms our suspicions. To put it bluntly, Miss Sinclaire," he added, very sincerely, "we want you on _our _side."

I regarded him coolly, measuring his words with what I knew of the Coven. Was their attitude toward demon magic shifting? NOT likely. Still, I supposed I might as well play along for now. "I don't have any ill will toward any of you," I said. "Though I need to get back to the Ever After. So if you could kindly wheel me out of here, I'd be much obliged."

He looked beyond shocked. "You _want_ to go back? But…"

"No, I don't!" I snapped. "But believe it or not, Mr. Wister, I am just as concerned about the truth getting out about witch origins as you are. The entire Ever After knows about me, and if I run from my obligations…well, frankly, the demons don't give a shit about whether humans figure out where we witches came from."

"Obligations…?" he asked, bewildered. But his eyes were on the amulet, and he was relaxing by degrees as what I was saying sunk in.

"Yeah. Got myself a tutor, like Rachel. Long story. And yes, I'm his familiar, too. Same fellow who scarred me as a kid. It kinda sucks for me, but there it is." I was rather shocked when the amulet gave a weird red flicker. "What?" I asked it, annoyed. "You saying I _don't _think it sucks dishwater? All right," I admitted to Adrian, "My situation could be a hell of a lot worse. At least I still own my own soul."

He stared at me for a long moment. "What's it like?" he asked, and his eyes were bright and fascinated. "Being able to do all that…stuff?"

I smiled wryly. "Dangerous," I said. "I nearly died. You know how you have to train up before you can control a ley line, and what happens if you don't? Imagine what might happen if you could tap a bunch of them at once. They're forcing me to get tutored to save their own asses more than mine."

"More than one…" His lips parted in wonder.

"Yeah, I had no idea until I did it, and Ash had to piece my soul back together. I owe him a big-ass favor now."

Adrian's eyes went unfocused as he scanned my aura for the new demon mark, but saw only the single one I'd been sporting for years. "And he didn't mark you?" he asked curiously.

"No, but he made me his familiar, wasn't that payment enough?" And he'd made himself _mine_, I realized. Tit for tat, and I still owed him a favor. And he _hadn't marked me_. Curious. Why hadn't he been lording it over me? I'd ask him when I got back. Maybe. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut about it…

"All right, Miss Sinclaire, I think we have our answer," he said, standing up and taking out his cell phone. "I just have to clear it with the other five members before we let you go. Thank you for your honesty and your cooperation."

And he left!

I stared after him, wondering what the hell had just happened. _They're letting me go? No fucking way. It can't be that easy. Something's up. I just know it._

Jocelyn returned shortly thereafter, accompanied by another nurse, a tall, slender man with delicate features and peroxide-pale hair. "This here's Shane," she said, by way of introduction. "I'm off for the day. How'd it go?"

I shrugged. "He didn't mention Alcatraz, at least," I said, smiling.

She grinned and patted my arm. "That's good news. Take care of yourself, love," she said, and left Shane to do the job of hourly vitals check. As he was busying himself taking my blood pressure and temperature, I stole a glance at his watch. It was nearly six. Sunset was in a couple of hours now, and then all I'd have to do was call Ash to come get me. I thought I could at least drag myself to the door of the chapel, now, and that would be as much as I'd need.

Shane fiddled with my meds, making a noise of consternation when he discovered they'd been turned way down. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like hell," I said. "But please don't drug me anymore. I'm all right." I regarded him again, now that he was close enough to smell. I realized that I couldn't place his species. He wasn't human, but he wasn't a witch. And he had none of the incense of the living vamps, either.

"If that's what you want," he said dubiously, but left the meds alone.

A short time later, Adrian peeked back into the room. "Okay, Miss Sinclaire, I'll let the staff know that the Coven has cleared you to leave. I can't guarantee that the IS is ready to do the same, however, but that's not my jurisdiction." _It's not my problem,_ is what I heard in his voice.

I sighed, then stretched, feeling the pain redouble with even that small movement. I was feeling stronger, but could I walk yet? "What about my shunning?" I asked, trying to keep the whine out of my voice.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, then added in a tone that made it clear he wasn't referring to the shunning, but my future, "Good luck."

_This is way too good to be true_, I thought suspiciously, and I was right. Except it turned out it wasn't the Coven or the IS I had to worry about.


	51. Ancient Enmities Revived

_My first ever serious action scene. Woo! Please tell me what you think. Too slow, too quick? Too few, too many details? This was so much fun to write!_

**In Which Evie Kicks Some Ass!**

Shane began to hum to himself as he tidied up, replacing the linens and doing other random nurse-y stuff. I wasn't really paying much attention, thinking over the interview with the nicest Coven member I'd ever encountered, and distrusting every second of it.

Though I didn't think Adrian himself was lying to me or putting on an act. If he'd outright lied, the amulet would have revealed it. Besides, he broadcast his emotions like a witch with a megaphone, so he was hardly the guy to send to conduct anything stealthy. More likely he was just doing reconnaissance. Maybe he was being purposefully kept in the dark by the other members? They send their most guileless member to lull me into a false sense of security?

Shane's humming was a quiet buzz in the background, pleasant and calming. I turned to watch him as he bustled around, feeling myself relaxing for the first time since I'd awoken that morning. He really was beautiful to watch, graceful and slender like a dancer. The motions he was making with his hands were especially entrancing, and his scent…it was wild and green, like squished stems and sunlight. He smiled at me reassuringly as he approached, and….

"Oops, sorry, I forgot my amu- HEY! What the hell are you doing to her?"

Adrian's voice. My eyes snapped open.

Shane whirled from where he'd been bending over me. Adrian lobbed something at him. Shane ducked and a splotch of colorful light burst the tastefully nondenominational stained glass window behind me.

I ripped the shackles from my wrists and sat up before I even thought about what I was doing, every sense tingling painfully, as if each were a limb that had fallen asleep. I rolled off the bed, putting it between me and the two men, and felt the IV rip from my arm. A deep, terrible pain rose within me, from somewhere deep inside. Too much was happening at once:

Adrian had just taken a spell to the belly and was flung backward into the doors of the chapel, shrieking with pain and surprise.

Shane was using ley line energy in a manner I'd never seen before. His green scent, rising with his magic, was utterly foreign and triggered something primal in me.

Therese forced me to my feet, hands dripping with power I'd wrested from the local line. Quick as a snake I flung a ley line stunning spell at the nurse who'd enthralled me.

Shane hissed and ducked, and the spell smacked one of the living vampires who'd come in to investigate. He went down in a heap, and the other vampire's pupils went utterly black. She yelled for security, as Shane zapped her with something blue that crackled like lightning. She, too, went down, though her convulsions continued for quite some time.

Adrian groaned from the hallway as Shane faced me again, and I had a circle up in time to block the next volley of his blue bolts of zappy death. The state I'd been in when I'd awoken was registering now: Shane had drawn up my skimpy hospital gown and had been tracing something on my belly in glowing runes. Therese shrieked in fury and I lobbed an unshaped ball of pure Ever After at him, which broke the circle and blew a hole clear through the wall behind him- and the wall behind that one as well.

Distant screams and running footsteps made us both glance toward the door. Shane launched himself toward me, but I had the circle up again in an instant.

"Bitch!" he hissed at me, and whatever the hell he was, it wasn't human. No human could have leaped over me, the bubble, _and _the bed like that, or found the weak point in my undrawn circle so quickly, or taken it out with a single harsh jab of blue crackling energy.

I stared at him in frank astonishment as he landed, but Therese was quicker. She lunged forward and slammed a palm right into his chest before he'd even finished touching the floor, using the exact same motion she'd used to repel Ash. With the force of her will and her magic behind it, the blow sent him straight through the drywall in a shower of dust and splintered wood. He fell back, then crouched in the hallway, shouting a word that wasn't Latin. But the intent was clear enough.

Whatever he threw clipped my shoulder as I tried to dodge, and I fell against the bed onto the floor, flinging a trail of blood from where the IV needle had been. I was still too weak to move quickly. I was still recovering from the fall when Shane slapped his hand on one of the blood spots, a convenient focusing object, and said another word in that strange tongue.

My body went entirely limp, even as I managed to get yet another circle up about me. Even if I was paralyzed, it was only a ley line charm and wouldn't last beyond a few minutes. I could still tap the line, and I didn't need gestures to strengthen my protection. I plowed as much force as I could into the circle until the strength of it began charring the linoleum floor.

Shane circled me, wolflike, probing for another weakness. _What the hell did he want?_ He could have killed me easily enough! And why my stomach? And _what the hell was he_?

Adrian was on his feet again, and several security guards and IS officers were rounding the doorway. I felt strength beginning to return to my limbs as they surrounded us, weapons and spells at the ready. I could turn my head now, and saw that they were relaxing- probably thinking the circle was of Shane's making and that I was trapped. Therese clenched her jaw in rage at the thought, and I was barely able to contain her instinct to tap all the lines in the area and level the entire fucking building. Instead, I waited for Shane to make his move, purposely allowing a weak point in the circle for him to target.

When he aimed another needle of power to bring down my bubble, I stole the force and transformed the energy into something else, letting it crash _across_ the bubble and explode outward in a rapidly expanding ring of green light. It was just another stunning spell, but the combined force knocked out everyone in a fifteen-foot radius- with the exception of Shane, myself, and Adrian, who'd flung up an amulet just in time to deflect it. I had no idea how the blond nurse had managed to avoid it.

"STOP!" Adrian cried, even as Shane flew over my circle again like a fucking gazelle, bounced, twisted, and slammed two feet into his chest. Adrian's amulet only repelled magical attacks, not physical, and he again flew back against a wall and landed in a heap, crying out in surprise. I had to say I was not at all impressed with his fighting skills. Hell, I was a little surprised at mine, frankly- I'd never been in a magical firefight in my life, but Therese seemed to be born for this.

With a grunt of effort I managed to turn over, though my limbs still flopped like a rag doll. "What the hell do you want?" I slurred, forcing my lips to shape the words. Shane had drawn up an arm dripping with something black and looked ready to shove it down the hapless Coven member's throat. "Shit," I muttered, and my hand moved just enough to make the gesture that would save his life, deflecting Shane's arm and sending whatever his spell would've done bouncing out the door and down the hall.

Of course, throwing it had broken my bubble, again, and Shane wasted no time in leaping on me, pinning me to the floor. His lip was bleeding now, and his blood smelled odd- like cinnamon, wine, an oddly autumn scent that was totally incongruous with his wintry complexion and nearly white hair. "Demonspawn," he growled, and I blinked at him in surprise.

"Holy shit. You're an _elf_, aren't you?" I gasped, my heart pounding from all the exertion. I was feeling rather faint and unable to catch my breath. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Recasting the curse," he spat. "But he interrupted. So I'll have to simply kill you instead."

_Ooooh, no_, Therese wasn't having any of that. I let her have her way, as I certainly didn't have a clue how to counter whatever he'd do next. She felt the power he was gathering, reached up, and bit his throat. In the moment it took him to shriek and try to pull away, she'd sucked a bit of his oddly sweet blood, and shrieked a simple ley line charm for repelling an attacker.

Having a focal object made all the difference. The spell was keyed to the elf, and Therese threw all the juice she had into it. Shane flew upward and back, his head smacking sharply on the ceiling. He fell facedown onto the monitors by the bed, giving his chin another sharp crack, then slid off the bed to land in a sprawled heap, one leg still sticking up. He was out cold, and would probably be out for some time.

The shakes started to get me then, as I stared at his face, only five feet away from mine, and realized that there was quite a lot of blood on him, and it wasn't all coming from my little bite mark, either. I was still partly paralyzed, but even if I weren't I don't think I could have looked away.

"Sinclaire!" Adrian's voice again, wheezing with pain. The witch probably had some busted ribs from the attack, but he was on his knees by my side. "What the hell was that about?"

"He attacked me," I panted, and glowered at Adrian when he checked his truth amulet. "God damn it, _I'm not lying_! The sonofabitch elf _attacked me_!"

"Elf?" He stared at me, then looked at the crumpled elf, his face going pale with sudden horror.

"Adrian, I'm a demon. They'll blame _me_ for this. Help me get out of here," I said. Well, begged, really. "Please!"

"I- I can't!" he said, panicked.

"_Listen_, you! The Coven set me up! Either the elf would neuter me, or he'd kill me, and either way the Coven's hands are clean. That elf brought a dead war between demons and elves into a fucking _hospital_! Into a _chapel_, for Christ's sake!"

Adrian's eyes were horrified. "No!" he insisted. "We had nothing to do with this!"

Running feet in the background again. Groans from downed security guards. Swell.

"Then you have to get me out of here, and tell them I was defending myself! You have to tell them the truth!" I hissed, grabbing his shirt and hoisting myself up with a shaking arm. "Everyone in this hospital will try to kill me after they see all this! Just get me off hallowed ground and hide me in a closet somewhere!"

For an unreal three seconds he thought about it, then took a deep breath and nodded. I nearly sagged with relief. He helped me painfully to my feet, wincing as his ribs protested. He paused to snag the amulet that was still hanging from the IV bag- the amulet that had just saved my ass- and the two of us hobbled awkwardly out the hole in the wall that Shane had made.

There were still plenty of bystanders around, watching us, so it wasn't like we could hide or run away. They were very warily keeping their distance from us, though. I made as menacing a face as I could manage, while I directed Adrian to the nearest door. It happened to be a conference room. We collapsed just inside the door, locking it behind us. Shortly afterward, the pounding began. We only had moments.

"Magnetic chalk? Pen?" I asked, and he dug in his pockets, wordlessly handing me a small stub of the shining chalk. He looked shellshocked by the whole adventure, perhaps unable to believe he'd actually helped me out. "You saved my life," I said shortly, my attention on what I was sketching on the floor. "Twice. Thanks."

"I did? Well, you saved mine, too, I think, when you deflected that black spell," he said, watching with growing trepidation as I began drawing the calling circle. "That's a curse, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it's a passive curse. To talk to demons." I continued sketching, blocking out the pounding, blocking out Adrian's protests…but most of all blocking out the image that kept returning to my head, that of Shane's face, eyes half open, blood pooling around his head.

"You're going to ask them to come get you?" Adrian asked warily, as I finished the circles and put the finishing touches on the symbols arranged around them.

"No. Have them summon me. Listen," I said, as I cast another reinforcement on the door that would only hold them off for another minute or two. "I owe you a favor. Demons take such things very seriously. Call me if you need something I can give you. I trust you not to tell the Coven. Don't screw me over."

"What?" Poor Adrian. He really was _not_ cut out for this exciting lifestyle. He was having a really hard time keeping up with things, but he did have a kind nature and a good heart.

_I think._

"You don't need a circle, just summon me with my name. I won't hurt you, I promise. Just don't give it to the Coven. I'm trusting you." I bent over the finished circle, squeezed out a few drops of blood to invoke it, and placed my splayed fingers in the correct positions. "My summoning name is _Saenatarahurani_."

Adrian just gaped at me, blinking owlishly at me with his mouth open, as I reached across the worlds to contact Ash. He flinched as the scent of burnt amber rose from the circle, and I silently took the blackness of the smut without protest.

_Evie? Where are you? Did they find you?_

_Did…did who find me?_

_Rachel said—_

_Now, wait a minute- you didn't go to Al, did you?_

_No, Al came to me, and offered—_

_Hey! I hope you didn't trade him anything important!_

_Well, no…not really…_

_Ash, you're a terrible liar._ Great. Just great. I'll bet I get a big old A etched on my forehead when I get back, when Al marks me as owing him a favor. Peachy keen._ I'm off holy ground. Try summoning me now. Quickly, please.  
_

The contact broke off, and I sighed. "So long, reality…it's been fun." I began to rub away the calling circle.

"You could've taken off those cuffs at any time you wanted?" he asked, looking at my empty wrists.

I nodded, feeling my gut start to cramp unpleasantly. I grunted, wondering what the elf had done to me and how bad it was. He said he'd been interrupted…but did he damage me anyway?

"You could've taken a hostage and escaped that way," he said.

"And I could have leveled the entire building," I said. "But I didn't." I winced, once more trying not to think about Shane's blank face. "I think I might have hurt the elf really bad, though."

"Miss Sinclaire?" Adrian said, and I saw that he was extending his hand. I raised an eyebrow, but shook it willingly enough. "I'll tell them that you were only defending yourself. I've got it all right here." He lifted the amulet, and I gave him a befuddled look. "It's a recording," he said proudly. "My own invention."

I was impressed. "Cool," I said. I was about to add more, but I sneezed, and the gut-cramping feeling turned into the dizzying sensation of the world dropping right out from under me. "SHIT!" I gasped. "What the hell…?"

"Are you all right?" he asked, as I began to clench up into a fetal position, moaning from the pain.

"_Hurts_," I gasped. "I think the elf might have—"

I sneezed again, and suddenly the world was no longer there. My aching, weakened body dissolved into the oddly comforting warmth of a ley line. Oh. Is that what a summoning feels like? Shit, no wonder demons always showed up pissed as all hell...

* * *

**Author's note: **Etymology of Evie's summoning name (once more a bastardization of Avestan words):

_Saēna_= personal name, root of words for raptor, eagle, bird of prey  
_atar_= fire  
_ahurani_= bringer of peace and fertility


	52. Al's Up To Something Again

_Note to self: don't taunt the muse. Or maybe I should blame this one on Al, who once again insisted on shoving himself into my story and keeping me from getting any sleep?_

**In Which Ash Dresses in Drag, and Loses A Bet**

I opened my eyes again to find myself in Ash's kitchen. In a circle of black-tinted Ever After, on the ornately scribed circle he'd installed for…I don't know what, but probably this was the first time he'd ever used it to actually summon a demon himself. Ash was there, looking just like me and grinning at me mischievously. "Demon," he (she? I?) intoned with my voice, "I've summoned you here to do my bidding!"

"Ha ha, very funny," I wheezed. I'm sure I'd have been more amused if I hadn't been curled up in a hurting wudge on the cold stone, weak and shaking and still clad in a backless hospital gown.

Ash lost his grin when he saw my condition, and took his circle down immediately. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, his features taking on his usual appearance as he hurried over.

"A fucking demon ripped out my throat," I growled back. I heard an awfully ominous, terribly familiar chuckle behind me. _Oh, lovely. Just lovely._ Too late I forced myself upright and twitched the gown closed in back before Al got too much more of a show.

"I _told_ you," Al said triumphantly, as I turned to scowl at him. "Pay up!"

"Huh?" I asked. "I don't owe you anything!"

"Not _you_, love," Al replied sweetly, sauntering over to slap Ash on the back. Ash was looking mightily irritated. "We had a bet that you'd need my help to get out of that sticky situation. I even sent my itchy witch off to save you."

"You did? Well, joke's on you, Al, I got out of that _room_ without help from _either_ of you," I replied loftily.

"As I said you would," Al said smoothly.

I glared at Ash. "Wait, _what? _You bet _against _me?"

"What? You were drugged, weakened, and shackled with silver!" Ash said defensively, folding his arms and looking belligerent. "I was-"

"He was worried sick over you, love," Al said. "Rather touching, I thought. Or at least it would have been if it were _you_ and not his own skin he were worried about," he added, as an afterthought.

Ash just grumbled and crouched beside me, examining my injuries with a clinical eye before casting some demonic healing curse on me. It was so odd- I could almost feel the blood cells dividing like mad right there in my veins, the skin on my neck knitting itself together itchily, the last effects of the drug being forced from my system. "You were in a fight?" he asked, helping me to my feet.

"No shit, Sherlock." I was still peeved that Ash had gone so far as to _bet _I'd sit around waiting for him to save me, and began tearing the bandages off of my neck. I was about to say more when another pain wracked my insides, and I bent double, gasping. Ash steadied me, then scooped me up as I began to collapse. I had a hard time gathering breath enough to speak, and anything I was about to say died on my lips anyway when I saw Al bending over me, looking suddenly suspicious.

"She stinks of death and elven magic," he spat, looking me over. He surprised the daylights out of both of us by swooping in and licking my face- ew!- where Shane's blood must still be coating my cheek. I blinked as I wondered what a wild, bloody, demonic appearance I must have presented to Adrian- it was amazing he'd helped me at all. Ash drew us back in annoyance, as Al smiled grimly. "Elf. Almost purebred," he said, with the air of a connoisseur. "Why, my little Yvette, what _have_ you been up to, coming back to us coated in elf blood?"

"Attacked," I said. "He was trying to curse me. _Re_-curse me," I clarified, then returned to the more important point. "Ash, what the hell did you bet him? I can't believe you bet against me! It better not involve any marks, or I will take it out of your hide."

"An elf attacked you, in a hospital?" Ash asked, bewildered, and I kicked at Al as he placed a hand on my belly, his goat-slitted eyes going unfocused as he examined my aura. "What about the Coven?"

"I don't know what to think about the Coven. _OW_! Al, whatever you're doing fucking _hurts!_ Cut it out!"

"What happened to the elf?" Ash asked, as Al ignored me and continued his perusal.

"I beat him,' I said, and choked back something between a sob and a hysterical laugh. "I think I killed him."

I suddenly had two demons staring at me in disbelief. "Seriously?" Ash asked, then realized I no longer had the silver bands on. "When did you get yourself free of the silver?"

But saying the words had triggered the shakes again. I _knew_ I'd killed him. There was no "think" about it. I'd killed someone. _ I'd killed someone_. In self-defense, sure, but that person was _dead_. Ended. Because of Therese. No- because of _me_. The shakes got worse, and I realized that I was starting to hyperventilate. _Oh, shit, not now! Not in front of AL._

Ash had that dispassionate look he always wore whenever I had a panic attack in front of him, but Al was eying me with something approaching clinical interest. "Dali should check her out," he told Ash, who clenched his jaw.

"She's _fine,_' Ash insisted, and I wondered if he were embarrassed about my mental weakness. Probably. _Asshole._ "This happens occasionally-"

"I meant about the curse the elf has left half-woven on her," Al clarified, not a trace of playfulness left on him now. "It's been ages since I had to untangle a fucking elven weave. Have _you_ ever tried it?"

I was only half-aware of this, as I shook and clung to my demon and fought to keep breathing. How pathetic, I was freaking out about my first murder and clinging to a fucking _demon_ for comfort. How much more screwed up could my life get? But now that the dam had burst, all I could see was the blood pooling around Shane's head, soaking his pale hair, and thinking about how he'd never nurse another patient again. I'd absolutely meant to do it, too. Therese had known how much excessive force she'd put into the blow, knew full well it would be fatal. Shane had probably died the moment he'd cracked his skull against the ceiling.

I buried my face in Ash's shoulder as the demons discussed me, not giving a damn about what they thought of me right now. At least Ash wouldn't condemn me for defending myself. Hell, he'd probably throw me a party later. Invite all his buddies to come and celebrate my first kill. I choked down more sobs, desperate for something but unsure what I needed- other than for the last twenty-four hours _not _to have happened.

"… give her a few more minutes to collect herself, or she'll just panic again when he touches her," Ash was saying, and I suddenly realized he'd agreed with Al. _Shit. This is so not what I need right now._

Al was still unusually serious. "_I'll_ take her. If _you_ bring her to Dali in this condition, half-cursed by an elf, you know perfectly well what he'll do. I have an idea that will benefit us both in the long run, but only if she stays with _you_. You know what will happen if Newt gets custody of her before she's ready."

I shook and tried to slow my breaths, aware that the two demons were once again conspiring to mess with me, right in front of my face, and I wasn't in any condition to protest coherently. _For fuck's sake, Evie, get a grip on yourself! Freak out later. There's still trouble to deal with right now! _ "No," I protested weakly.

Ash looked just as skeptical. "_You?_ What bullshit story will you tell him that'll explain this?"

Al waved a hand airily. "One similar to the bullshit story I fed him about Rachel. He'll know it's bullshit, but it's much better for all concerned if it comes from _me_ than you." He smiled down at me, a toothy, cheeky grin. "Your preliminary exam," he explained. "An impartial, independent evaluation of your current skill level by an expert. Congratulations. You passed."

_Oh, fuck you, Al,_ I wanted to say, but all I could manage was a half-assed glare. "No," I gasped again, as I couldn't imagine anything I wanted less right now than to deal with Algaliarept and Dali, of all demons. Well, OK, maybe Newt. It could _always_ be worse.

But Ash was chewing his lip thoughtfully. "He'll never buy it," he said.

"Of course not. But it's better than the truth, and you know it." Even through my distress, I was amused to see Al give Ash that over-the-glasses stare that worked so well on Rachel, and find that it apparently worked equally well on Ash. For the first time, I wondered what history the two of them had. There was some dynamic between them coming into play that I'd never noticed before. Al was older than Ash, perhaps by quite a lot. Hell, most of the demons left here were older than Ash. I'd never given it much thought- how much did, say, a century or two matter when you were thousands of years old? But given the potentially rapid upheavals their society had gone through near the end of the war, perhaps even that small age gap made a difference.

I felt Ash shift uncomfortably, then sigh. "What do you want?" he asked, grudging surrender in his voice. I stiffened, because this was suddenly getting weird.

"From you? Cooperation. And that familiar you owe me." Al motioned for Ash to set me down somewhere, and Ash did so. He settled himself beside me on the bench, as if sensing that I was still in need of support. But Al made another motion, this one dismissive. "Now get lost. I want to talk to Yvette Therese Sinclaire alone. If I can fix this mess, you'll abide by her decision."

I gulped and wiped my face on my sleeve, alarmed to see the sleeve come away even bloodier than it had been. God, I really must be a total mess. I glanced at Ash, seeing him scowl suspiciously at both of us. But my curiosity was piqued, now that all of this had given me something else to focus on other than the elf I'd murdered. "It's all right, Ash. I'll let you in on things once I know what the hell he's got in mind. I'll be fine. He knows I'll kick his ass if he tries anything."

Al snorted, and I realized something else: I wasn't terrified of Algaliarept any longer. Sure, the unpredictable demon could still scare the hell out of me, and he was dangerous and cunning and a manipulative son of a bitch, but…that terror he'd always inspired in me was gone. I really didn't think that whatever he had in mind right now was any kind of direct attack, anyway.

Ash made a grumbling show of protest, or perhaps possessiveness, but after a moment, he dissolved into a jump, leaving me alone with Al.


	53. But He Actually Makes Sense This Time

**In Which Al Confirms What Everyone Already Knows**

I was still shaking, but I'd managed to banish the horrifying images to the back of my mind again, for later perusal at my leisure. "What do you want?" I asked warily.

"It's not going to work, you know," he said quietly, folding his arms and staring off into nothing. I waited for him to elaborate, but he was looking pensive and serious, some perhaps related thought furrowing his brow for a moment before he turned to me. "Kaviashemedaeva is a very, vary talented demon, but he isn't experienced enough for what he proposes to do."

"Train me, you mean," I said.

"Hmm," he agreed, removing his glasses to clean them fastidiously on a white handkerchief. "He's in over his head. He'll never admit it. He's in nearly as much trouble as I'm in, you know."

Well, duh. Ash had lost his status and his wealth, after all, lost it to me. This was about the last role he had to play, and Al was proposing that he couldn't even do that much? I couldn't argue with Al, though, because I'd been doing rather a lot of thinking about it myself.

Al replaced his glasses, then drew up one of the incongruously normal chairs nearby. He sat in it backwards, facing me and resting his chin on his hands on the back of the chair, the cocky schoolkid pose looking rather out of character with his lace and elegant frock coat. He smiled a little, tilting his head thoughtfully. "You already know what I'm going to say, don't you?"

I dropped my gaze. "We're too…emotionally invested," I said cautiously. "Too much history. Too much…angst."

Al gave me a patronizing look. "If that's how you want to put it. I was going to be more blunt and say he's a bloody possessive, jealous idiot with the emotional maturity of a kumquat." I couldn't help the involuntary snort of laughter. "You're not much better, love," he continued, and I lost my grin. "Letting him goad you into such a tizzy that you nearly blow yourself up. No, it simply won't do. It's why Newt agreed to this outlandish proposal, you know. She knows it can't last, that sooner or later she'll have to step in. She's crazy, not stupid."

I felt ice in my stomach and shuddered. Maybe her helping me out the other day hadn't been so benevolent. What had it done, after all? It'd only made Ash furious, for going behind his back and for cutting him off. I grimaced, remembering her smug satisfaction that her intervention would cause trouble. And it had, hadn't it? And if I were really honest with myself….I'd known it would cause trouble, too. Al was right. "What are you proposing, Al?"

"Keep Ash as your familiar, and your anchor. You trust him, somewhat, and_ I_ sure as fuck don't want to be your familiar. He'll instruct you in curse theory and practice, and anything else of relevance. But for the dangerous energy manipulation, you come to _me_."

"Out of the goodness of your heart…?" I asked sarcastically. "What do you want?"

Al removed his glasses and fixed me with a stare that was deadly serious. "I know my Rachel well enough to know that she will never consent to allow _me_ to be her familiar. She is simply too independent. That _you_ allowed it was a happy accident for Ashmedai. And it's for the best, anyway. As you, a mentor yourself, can easily guess," he added wryly, and I blinked.

Holy cow, had Al just admitted to me that he had feelings for Rachel?

"No, she'll never accept me, and she shouldn't,' he continued casually, spinning his smoked glasses idly in his gloved hand, as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell on me. "She's close to requiring a demon familiar for her training, but I will never convince her that it's natural and right to have one." His gaze returned from the glasses to my own. "_You_ might."

I stared at Al, wide-eyed. "You want _me _to do it? To be her familiar? _Rachel's _familiar?"

"I'll train you properly. Not for you, for _her._ Otherwise, Newt _will_ get involved. As the only female elder, she ought to be your _yazataksh_, but we all know that would only end in your death. If _I_ can train you, and you survive, we will have little trouble convincing Dali and anyone else to keep Newt away from Rachel."

"_If_ I survive…?" I asked, not amused.

He shrugged. "Even in the old days, not everyone survived. I'd do my best, I give you my word. And _I've_ trained demons before."

"Females?" I asked pointedly, and he looked away.

"No. Newt is the only one of us left with that experience. You will most likely have to apprentice yourself to her at some point, for learning more of the female-specific higher order magic, but at that point you'll be well able to hold your own, even against her."

"So _I_ deal with Professor Newt, and Rachel doesn't have to," I translated. "Goody for me." I paused to give it some thought. I had few illusions about how hellish this process would be, but I'd also worked at a college for long enough to recognize bullshit teachers when I saw them, and Al wasn't one of them. I also knew how to spot the crazies that would still work out as mentors even if the time would be hell, and the crazies that would simply be _too_ crazy to work with, brilliant or not. And Newt was still firmly in the latter category.

"OK," I replied after a long pause. "I see where you're going with this. But again, _why_? You don't even like me."

"That's the bloody point! I_ don't _like you. I'll _enjoy_ torturing you. This part of the schooling is painful, difficult, and dangerous. And I won't pull my punches. You'll come out of it honed to a fine, deadly point, or you won't come out of it at all." His eyes glittered as he watched me, and I knew he was telling the truth. I shivered a little, but it wasn't from fear. It wasn't arousal, either, thank you very much. It was Therese, I think, that began to grin inside and rise to his challenge. "And now you know why I have a vested interest in you coming out of it alive," he added.

Al as my tutor, after all? I had to admit, he had made one additional, excellent point. If I had to be put through the demonic wringer, I'd rather it be by someone _other_ than Ash, for once. "Ash won't go for it," I said, weighing my reaction.

"He will. Deep down he already knows I'm right. All we have to do is convince him that it's in everyone's best interest and that I'm not going to steal you for myself. Which you can easily do, if he remains your familiar. I'll leave it to _you_ to soothe his wounded manly pride."

I ignored that last mocking jab. "Does that work? Having the instructor and the familiar be two different people?"

Al shrugged. "Happened all the time, before," he said. "It wasn't unusual. The familiar's role is more…spiritual. It's difficult to explain. You'll understand. And you'll be able to explain it to Rachel when the time comes. She'll accept you. And you have mentorship experience. And you're a soft-hearted little bitch, when it comes right down to it," he added, almost as an afterthought. "You'd do a good job of it simply out of pride, but you'll do an ever better one because, unlike Newt, _you_ give a damn about her."

I couldn't argue with anything he'd said so far. In fact, part of me was relaxing and sighing with relief, because I had been doing a lot of soul-searching today, and hadn't liked a lot of the conclusions I'd been coming back with. Ash and I had a lot to hash out already. There was far too much emotion there that was interfering with his- and my- judgment.

_Not to mention that it's just _wrong _to be fucking your mentor,_ my scholarly brain added.

I stared at Al long and hard, trying like hell to see where this would come back to bite me in the ass. But in all the time I'd known Al, he'd never outright lied to me. And now he'd trusted me with what had to be a fairly dangerous secret. He might not like me. But he'd trusted me. And he wouldn't have made this offer if he didn't respect my abilities- hell, it represented a huge investment on his part with no immediate payoff. I might die in the process. Rachel might die before she was ready. But if we both made it through the training, the Ever After would have some potent new magic users on their side.

And we'd both owe Al big time, and everyone would know it. I smiled. _Good old Al, always thinking waaaay ahead._

"All right, Al. I agree. Get me through this doctor visit with Dali, and we'll hash out the details." _Starting with: absolutely, positively no sex. Or biting. Or marks!_

Algaliarept grinned widely. "Newt is going to be pissed to the ends of the Ever After when she finds out." He stood up, casually knocking the chair aside. "This is going to be _so-o-o _much fun, my little grasshopper," he drawled, rubbing his hands with anticipation.

He went to Ash's ornate calling mirror and spent a few minutes in silent conversation, presumably with Dali. I jumped out briefly to exchange my hospital gown for something more suitable for an interview with Dali. I also took a moment to wash the blood from my face and arms while I told Ash through the bond that I was just fine, thank you, and we were heading off for my checkup, and I'd tell him all about it when I got back.

"Why didn't you mention any of this before?" I asked Al as he finished his conversation with the mirror. "And why didn't you want Ash hearing it?"

Al offered me his elbow like the gentleman he looked like at the moment. "Because if I'd lost my bet, you wouldn't have been worth the trouble," he said. "And because Ash is simply too prickly to listen to me where you are concerned. What did you do to him, anyway? It's been ages since I've seen him make so many idiotic decisions in a row. Bringing you back to Colorado and ripping out your throat for a first lesson?"

I took Al's arm and stared straight ahead, having the sudden odd feeling that Al had already guessed far too much, so what the hell? And anyway, he'd already entrusted me with a rather big secret of his own. If we really were going to do this, he'd end up knowing my secrets inside and out, so I might as well come clean at the start. "He learned that I'm falling for him and freaked out," I said.

"Mmm," Al said neutrally, shocking me by not immediately falling over laughing. I saw his eyebrows rise in surprise, whether at the news, or the fact that I'd actually _told _him, but that was the sum of his reaction. "Well, there's no accounting for taste, is there? Come along."

We dissolved into a thought for the short journey, Al's thoughts enfolding mine. I expected his emotions to be mocking, but they were vague, distracted, and difficult to categorize. Yet another side of Al to ponder on, I thought, and felt his amusement at my unvoiced surprise.


	54. Doctor Visit

_Evie's been getting a little too cocky lately. *smirk* Time to embarrass her again.  
_

**In Which Evie Finds Herself the Unintentional Victim of A Second Elven Curse. (Oops.)  
**

"So tell me, Al," Dali said, removing the reading glasses he wore and rubbing the bridge of his nose in a gesture of tired inevitability, "At what point did it seem like a good idea to send Ash's student to reality to fight an elf?"

Al shrugged, his canary-eating grin wide. "It was_ her_ idea to train in reality, if you recall. Ash asked me for an impartial evaluation. I just wanted to add a bit of…_realism_ to her preliminary exam. And anyway, I sent her off to fight a Coven member. _ They _called in the elf."

"_Realism_," Dali repeated skeptically, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I seem to recall that a trial by fire used to be all the rage among all the cool demon tutors," Al said lightly, but he was giving Dali the over-the-glasses stare and Dali was scowling. _Ooh, there was history here, wasn't there?_

"That was_ then_, when we had more sproglings than we knew what to do with," he replied curtly. "We're a bit short on them at the moment, Al. And you sent her in there without any backup? In_ silver_?" Dali did a doubletake at my empty wrists. "Wait, where's the silver?"

Al looked at me expectantly, then gave me a smack upside the head when I only stared at him blankly. "You lost them?" he asked. "I told you not to lose them! Those things don't grow on trees, you know!"

I rubbed my reddening ear with a surly look. "What_ever_," I replied, sounding exactly like the young goth chick I currently resembled in my black robes, all I could find to wear on short notice. "I was a little _busy _at the time…?"

Al rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "Anyway, she wasn't without backup. Rachel was there to keep an eye on her."

Dali was now massaging his temples, elbows propped on his desk wearily. "You sent _both_ of them. The only sane females we have. To _reality_. To fight the _Coven_. _And_ the elves," he said. "Al, how many times do we have to charge you with Uncommon Stupidity? We should just put your name on a little plaque over the door of your cell. Perhaps a revolving door would also be in order…?"

I fought to suppress my snicker as Al folded his arms huffily. "I have the utmost faith in my students' abilities," he said. "And I was proven correct. Capital instincts, both of them."

I tried not to look too pleased at his assessment. This could rapidly head south if Dali decided I was being endangered by my new "tutor." The news that Al was taking over part of my training hadn't come as a surprise to Dali, making me wonder if Al had discussed it with him ahead of time. And if he and Dali were in cahoots or something.

_Probably. Well, I'll certainly find out eventually when my not-well-thought-out decision to trust Al comes back to bite me in the ass. With demon venom. Yay._

Dali grunted. "Yet she got herself ensnared in an elven weave, I can smell the stench of it from here." He beckoned to me, but I was in no hurry to close the distance between us. Dali had an air of…something to him, something that said he was old, old, old. Old, cold, and frighteningly powerful. If there were a demon superior to him in either age or power (other than Newt), I hadn't met him. Just having his attention on me was pretty fucking scary. His red eyes were dark enough to almost be black, which was spooky enough even if I didn't know they hid the typical goat-slitted pupils. That he eschewed the normal demon trend of either appearing as a svelte young metrosexual or a brawny diabolical fiend wasn't lost on me, either. Everything about this individual suggested that you really_, really_ wanted him on your side.

Al gave me a prod in the back. "Believe it or not, the old man is also the best demon doc we have left."

"That's not saying much," I muttered. "I'm the sanest woman you have left." Dali frowned, but Al just gave me another shove. So I reluctantly approached the older demon and even let him place a hand on my belly, a probing, questioning look on his face as he examined what I couldn't even see. I winced as it felt like things shifted around inside. "OW!" This wasn't fair, he wasn't allowed to disembowel me from the inside, damn it!

"What the hell is it stuck to?" Dali said, shifting his hand higher, and I shied away with a pained shriek. "Hold her," he commanded Al, and I felt my lips curl into a nasty bared-teeth _don't-you-fucking-come-any-closer_ glare.

Al stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowed. "Yvette, consider this lesson one: discipline. Tame yourself, or you'll spend lesson_ two _improving your spindling capacity." He smiled cruelly at that, and I remembered the gleeful look on his face as he'd forced enough line energy into me to make me pass out. OK, I wasn't looking forward to that part just yet.

"Interesting word choice," I grumbled with disgust, but stomped on my instinct to let both of these irritating males know my displeasure. Al rapidly wrangled my arms behind me, a hold that wasn't painful unless I tried to struggle- at which point my arms tried to rip themselves off my shoulders. "Couldn't you just put me to sleep?" I reconsidered. Did I really want to be unconscious, here, alone with _these _two guys? "Nevermind," I amended hastily, and Al chuckled.

The next few minutes were very unpleasant, as Dali was apparently trying to undo whatever Shane had done, and apparently having little success. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he muttered, half to me and half to himself, ignoring my shrieking and swearing at him. "It's like you've already been cursed, somehow, and it's affecting…" He trailed off, making a pulling gesture as if trying to yank something out of me. It felt like it was taking half of my intestines with it.

Oh. _Shit._ I tossed my sweat-matted hair from my eyes, hearing Al curse as I whacked him right in the glasses. "Um, could that be the contraceptive curse?" I asked.

Dali straightened, staring at me oddly for a moment, then looked over my shoulder at Al. Both of them shared a moment of shared confusion, then both started snickering in a most irritating manner. Worse, it was that men-sharing-a-secret manner that triggered not only my homicidal instincts, but my feminist ones as well.

Dali recovered first, his grin wide and patronizing. "Oh, dear. We haven't had our little talk about the birds and the bees yet, have we?" he said mockingly. "Al, you're not doing your job."

Al released me and I rubbed my aching shoulders, trying to restore circulation to my arms. "It's not _my_ job," he said, still snickering. "_I'm_ not the one screwing her."

"Not for lack of trying," I grumbled, face beginning to flame. _Oh, good grief. What did I do wrong this time?_

"Oh, love, you'd _know_ if I'd actually been _trying_," he replied with a leer.

Dali spoke several words in Latin- a simple countercharm I recognized and could easily have done myself. He did it with a series of unfamiliar gestures, though, and I felt energy shift about and through me for a moment. An instant later there was a scent of greenery and spice, as a green haze drew itself out of me and vanished, along with the tension that had been gripping my innards since the fight with Shane. _Oh, sure. Demon magic stinks to high heaven, but elven magic gets to smell like leaves and cinnamon. How fair is that? _

"_The-e-e-re_ now, all better," Dali said, still smirking. "Now I have to ask, what were you thinking when you tried that curse? Who gave it to you?"

"Ceri," I said, and Al and Dali began to laugh again. "_WHAT?_" I demanded, my blush deepening. "She said it's the standard curse! She's made it dozens of times for the familiars Al caught!"

"For the _elves_, love," Al said, shaking his head in mirth. "Ceri, Ceri, I expected better of you…still, I suppose it was my fault. We don't use them on the witches and humans, you see- so much easier to just neuter them- so I never bothered to teach her. Not that any of _those_ curses would work on a demon, mind you."

I didn't want to know why. I had a couple of theories, all of them horrible. It was easy enough to sterilize someone, with or without magic. So why demons would want to keep the reproductive capabilities of their elven slaves intact…no, I didn't want to know!

"So she gave me a contraceptive curse for an elf," I said. "Oops. Doesn't change the fact that I still _need_ one!" I glowered, knowing that these two had little incentive to give me one, not if repopulating the Ever After was on the agenda. "I'm _serious_!" I added as the men began to grin at me again.

"You _don't_ need one," Dali said. "It's a voluntary…_thing_." He waved his hand as if the concept was distasteful.

"Besides," Al said, "We can't possibly train you if you're spawning, now, can we? Just wear the silver and you'll be fine. Now let's get you back, Dali's a busy demon." He took my arm again in preparation for a jump.

"I trust you won't be trying extracurricular curses again any time soon, Ms. Sinclaire?" Dali asked in a syrupy sweet voice that made me want to gag him with a Mrs. Butterworth bottle. For an answer I just glared sullenly. God, I was pushing fifty, but he made me feel like I was back in the grade school principal's office. "Good. Now be a good girl and obey your new teacher, or I'll sic Newt on you. Off you go."

I felt my face flaming again. "Sure," I said. "I'll even remember to hold his hand when I cross the street."

Al gave me a _don't push your luck_ look, as Dali added, "Please tell me she at least _killed _the son of a bitch?"

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"The elf!" Al said impatiently. "Yes, yes, she cracked his skull like an egg- with white magic, no less." I'd told him the story as we waited to see Dali, and he'd cackled appreciatively at that part.

"Coven member got away, though," I muttered, turning my wince at the horrifying memory of Shane's death into an embarrassed-looking apologetic shrug. I hadn't told Al _everything, _particularly the part about Adrian helping me escape.

Dali smiled and steepled his fingers. "Plenty of time to fix that," he said, looking satisfied. "Consider that your final exam. Good day."


	55. Breaking the News

_Yaaaay! I've hit my goal! *throws confetti* My first novel-length story, woo hoo! And I think it's winding to a natural close, soon. Or at least a bit where I can skip ahead quite a bit. Unless Adrian decides to be a little creep...uh, oh. Quick! Catch that plot bunny before it esca- _

_Drat. Well, shit. :)_

**In Which Evie Turns Her Back On Tradition **

Al dropped me off after a brief conversation in which we established that we'd finish details of the deal later. I wanted to talk to Ash first. If he were pissed enough, there might not _be _a later.

Ash was pacing with a thunderous expression, whirling on me to give me an accusing stare the moment I'd reappeared. And of course Al had to make it worse by giving me a peck on the cheek before vanishing, purely for the sake of being an ass.

Ash waited with folded arms. "Well...?"

"Well what? Which part?" I asked, playing dumb.

"What. Did. Al. Want?" he asked carefully, using kindergartner enunciation.

I scowled at him. "I'm _fine. _Dali got the curse off. Thanks for asking."

Ash tried to suppress the flash of chagrin, but I caught the slight wince anyway. Of course he was more worried about what plots Al and I had been cooking up together than any little thing like my health and comfort. He usually faked it well, but I knew _my_ happiness was in the double digits on his list of priorities. (At least the wince meant it made the list_ at all_...) "Good. Now answer the question."

"He asked me if I'd consider being Rachel's familiar when she's ready, so Rachel doesn't have to deal with Newt. Apparently Rachel has a bit of an issue with authority on top of being, well, a rather independent woman. So I get the Newt Treatment because I've got experience working with the crazy on a daily basis..." My attempt at humor fell flat on its face. "I said yes."

Ash growled, a deep grumpy rumble of irritation. "And now he owes you a favor?" he asked doubtfully.

"No, we worked something out. Partly." I still wasn't sure how to tell him. Ash was an ass, too. But he was _my_ ass, marked, fought for, claimed in court, and now my stupid familiar in the bargain, so I couldn't just ignore how all this would go down with him. Like it or not, I was going to be connected to this guy for the foreseeable future.

And now that I'd gone and murdered someone and run away instead of facing justice, I couldn't just go back home. Like it or not, I was now a resident of the Ever After, perhaps permanently. I might not trust my current roommate, but I didn't dare live alone, and sure as hell wasn't going to live with anyone else. That was the main issue on my mind, confronting the reality of what I'd done and the roil of emotions I was desperately suppressing. Unfortunately I knew that Ash was far more concerned with my plotting with Al behind his back, and wouldn't let that go without knowing every last detail, so I figured I'd just have to get it over with.

Ash caught my upper arm and drew me ungently to him. "Yvette. Don't make me squeeze it out of you," he said menacingly. "I assure you I'll enjoy it more than you will."

"All right, just...don't freak out," I said warningly, letting just the barest tingle of ley line power slip between us. It still amused me that he kept forgetting that I could fight back. He just scowled, not loving the reminder at all. "I'm not mad about the bet," I said, and his lips quirked into a quickly suppressed grin as the non sequitur caught him off guard. "I mean, I was, but it was only a lucky chance that you weren't right. I didn't escape because I was cunning or special, just lucky. But two things: first, I wouldn't even have _been _there in the first place if we hadn't fought, and second, Al was willing to bet on my resourcefulness, even if it cost my life."

Ash's brow furrowed. "But Rachel-"

"He never sent her. He tricked you, Ash. He told me the wording of your agreement. You made a mistake."

Ash stared at me, eyes narrowing as he reviewed the verbal contract in his head, then figured out the loophole. "Fucking son of a bitch," he growled. "I'll kill him."

"No, you _won't. _He did it to make a point. That's twice- in one day!- that your judgment was bad, because of me. Not that I've been making great decisions lately myself. Don't you see? If you try to train me, one of us will end up dead, or worse."

Ash was making his stinkbug face again, digesting this latest unwelcome truth. I forged on ahead before he could protest. "I made a deal with him. He's going to teach me all the dangerous shit. You're going to be there to pick up the pieces."

Ash's grip tightened painfully as he accelerated from zero to rage in less than a second, but I tried not to quail, staring at him resolutely. "For better or for worse, it's done. Unless you don't want to be my familiar anymore, in which case I'll have to find someone else."

Ash shoved me away, furious. "I'll kill you if you do," he said, barely able to spit the words out. "You bitch. You stupid, _stupid_ bitch! He'll rip you apart! There's no fucking way you will survive this."

"I will!" I insisted. "Otherwise Al will have to let Newt have Rachel, sooner or later. It's in_ his _best interest that I survive and am trained properly, so I can help her. Ash, I _can't _let you train me. You know that. There's just too much emotion, too much history. Al doesn't give a shit about my feelings or what I think about him. He's the epitome of demonic practicality. He can put aside his dislike and do it right. But us two? Sheesh, Ash, look at us! I've already tried to kill you twice since I got here! And despite the fact that I appear to be as bloodthirsty as the rest of you when it comes to elves..." I felt my voice falter at the admission, "I don't want you dead."

Ash grabbed a small abstract sculpture and hurled it, smashing both it and a rather expensive-looking vase in the process. I'd known he wouldn't be happy, but at least he wasn't aiming at me. Yet. "I won't break the familiar bonds," he said furiously. "Forget about it."

_Yet another promise broken, Ash? _I sighed. "That's the point, Ash. I'm not asking you to."

"What _are_ you asking, then? What will you demand of me next, Yvette?"

"Just listen to what I'm saying, would you? It would be so much easier if I just didn't give a damn! Then I'd have no problem with letting you train me. If I accidentally kill Al? I'll get over it. If I accidentally killed you...?"

I stopped, because Ash was just standing there, staring at me. He was breathing heavily, though his face was that expressionless mask he often wore. "He'll kill you," he said again, voice low and furious. "You're an idiot to trust him."

"I _don't _trust him. But I trust his self-interest to overrule his dislike."

His jaw tightened at the implication that his self-control was any less than Al's. But of course I was right. He'd defied his own self-interest every time he'd lost it around me. That was the problem. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't, and it pissed him off to no end. He turned away in a quick, irritated gesture, fists clenched as he tried to get his temper back under control.

"Do you still want me as a student, otherwise?" I asked. "Teach me demon curse-craft and whatever else I need to know?"

Ash turned to stare at me, a look I couldn't define on his face. It took me a moment to decide it was honest confusion, warring with distrust. "Everything was so much _simpler_ when you were just a fucking _witch_," he said, a surly note in his voice.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And everything was a lot simpler for_ me_ when you were just another demon."

The fight seemed to leave him, as pride straightened his back and emptied his face. "Perhaps I haven't been acting demonic enough for you, sweet?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't even go there, Ash. We'll just try to kill each other again. Aren't you getting kinda tired of that? I know I am- hell, I just spent a week in bed and a day in the hospital. Just how much more abuse do you really think I'm going to put up with?" And once those words were out of my mouth, I could have smacked myself. "And now I'm wondering just why I've been putting up with _any _abuse from you at all, damn it!"

"We're demons, love," he said bitterly. "Abuse is in our nature. We are pain, destruction, and death."

I snorted. "And there's no fucking way I'm going to accept that. Not anymore. All of my life, I've never hurt a soul." I reconsidered. "Okay, maybe some of my former students would disagree with that, but still." I folded my arms, trying to put it into words. "Y'all think I'm weak. A pushover. Well, you know what? You all can just go on thinking that. I don't give a damn. I never gave a damn about human tradition before the Turn, or witch tradition after it, and I am NOT going to just go blindly into following demon tradition now that I'm stuck here."

Ash mirrored my posture. "Ever consider that there's a reason for our traditions, Evie?"

"Sure. I've seen Therese in action. You know what? She's _me_. She's not evil or heartless anymore than I am."

"No, your problem is that you have too_ much _heart, love. Take it from someone who's been around awhile, it's much easier if-"

"_Easier!_" I spat. "It shouldn't be easy. NOTHING should be easy. And if the only way to live forever is to become a soulless bastard...then _fuck_ living forever!"

Ash laughed, a bitter, lonely, jaded laugh. "And do you know how many times I've heard that?" he asked, smirking. "You'll change your tune in a hundred years or so, as death begins to creep up on you. As for preserving your pretty little ideals? It sounds wonderful, and noble, but a hundred years is a long time. Five hundred? You cannot even conceive of it. A thousand? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Nobody can have that kind of strength, love. Eternity grinds you down, finds every little flaw you have and widens it, as water seeps in and wears away the hardest stone, carving canyons and caverns and crumbling even the most idealistic, determined mountains. Your heart fossilizes as your illusions stretch thin and snap. And the worst enemy you face isn't time, or each other, or even death. It's boredom."

I shivered. "Then perhaps we shouldn't strive for immortality, then. Look at what it's done to you and your people."

"_Our_ people, Evie." he reminded me, still wearing that cruel half-smile.

I felt the weight of his words, and it was heavy indeed. It wasn't like I could change his mind, or bring a ray of sunshine into this frozen spiritual wasteland. But I could look at the cold, shriveled souls of my people and decide that I would never become that. "I'm still not going to follow your traditions, and if there's a demon tradition that says I should fuck you over and ally myself with Al because I don't have an emotional connection to him, then tradition can go Turn itself."

He tensed, unable to hide his surprise, and I realized that he'd been absolutely certain that fucking him over to go ally myself with Al to escape our emotional connection was exactly what I was going to do.

He stayed silent, though, contemplating me with a cold and calculating expression that just made me want to smack him upside the head. For the love of little green apples, couldn't he just put all that aside for five minutes? I supposed not. He was following thousands of years of ingrained habits, after all.

"All right, I'm done with the speechifying and shit," I said, uncertain that "speechifying" was even a word. "Stop measuring me with the demon measuring tape, that's all I'm asking. Go ahead and think of me as a witch, if that makes it easier. And this witch is going to follow her instincts and her heart. And her gut. And she's not going to be sleeping with the guy who's teaching her dangerous ley line energy manipulation, that's for damned sure."

Ash huffed indignantly. "You don't think he'll try it?"

I shrugged. "He might. But I'll say no, otherwise this whole deal with him is pointless."

"I'll kill him if he succeeds," Ash warned.

"Not if I kill him first for trying," I said with a grin. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Ash?"

"You don't think I'm capable of putting aside my rather tangled feelings about you to teach you properly. What else is there to understand?"

"I really am beating my head against a brick wall, here, aren't I?" I said, exasperated. "Two things, Ash: One, the tangled feelings are mutual, and two...I don't _want _you to put them aside." I took a deep breath, uncertainty grabbing me by the throat and making my voice too soft and weak. "One more thing..."

Ash was silent, regarding me with an openly appraising look. He made a _go ahead _gesture, his expression once again unreadable.

"This is going to sound really fucked up," I said quietly. "But I want my scar back."


	56. Overwhelmed

_My hubby says he finds this chapter really creepy. So, um...good? I mean, they're demons, after all. _

_So without further ado: smut ahead! Happy Thanksgiving! _

**In Which Evie is Scarred For Life**

Ash was still silent, but now it was the silence of speechlessness. His arrested look made me feel like this request, at such a time, must be beyond the pale. "You're asking _me _to do it?" His voice was ice. "_Now?_ You need such a reminder _now_?"

I was baffled until I remembered that yes, that's what I'd said about it before, hadn't I? I'd insisted it was a reminder, specifically, that I wasn't safe. From him. _Oh, geez. _"Ash, I..." I wasn't going to whine about losing everything again. How could I explain that I couldn't reinvent myself to deal with this new life without one tiny little thing that hadn't changed completely?

"Get a fucking butcher knife and do it yourself," he said coldly, turning away.

"It's just...it's part of me," I murmured. "Al as good as marked me as his by taking it away from me, and since I can't reverse the entire curse, I at least want that little bit back. I'm NOT his and I never will be." The implication was clear, though pride wouldn't let me say it. _ "_If you do it, it'll drive home that point," I offered, and he paused in his huff to give me a sidelong glance.

"And what will it mean to _you_?" he said, his voice still icy.

"Does it matter?" I asked. I felt my face burning. Asking him had been Therese's idea, and his cold voice was an unexpected and humiliating rejection to her.

"This time, it does," he said, eyes narrowed as he regarded me with an otherwise blank face.

"I just thought you might want...Forget it." I rubbed my hot face, wishing I could control the damned blush. I laughed softly, recalling his words the night before. "I was being sentimental, all right? I guess I can work up the guts do it, if you don't want-"

He was on me so fast that I was pinned under him on the floor before I even registered that I was no longer upright. Holy shit, he was quick when he wanted to be! I shrieked with real shock at the sensation, at the turmoil of passion on his face. His fangs were out, his skin was flushed, and he looked...for lack of a better word, he looked _demonic_. "Evie, Evie," he said softly. "Asking _me_ was a mistake." His hand cupped my cheek, but instead of cutting me, he slipped his fingers back to take a firm, then painful grip of my hair.

"Ash," I gasped, "I-"

His other hand covered my mouth, and I blinked at him in wide-eyed confusion. Was he angry or what? I honestly couldn't tell. "No more words, love," he said. "You had your chance. You should have allied with Al. He might have saved you from me."

I winced, wondering if I'd committed some horrible demon_ faux pas_ and if scalping me was on the menu today. Instead, Ash yanked my head back, exposing my throat. He skimmed his nose along my neck, and I had a sinking feeling he was going to bite me again. Swell. But he was inhaling my scent, perhaps responding to my fear. "Oh, I'll scar you, Yvette Therese Sinclaire. I'll _defile_ you, poison you until your every breath reeks of my taint."

I made a small muffled protest, realizing his claws were out as well, scraping my cheek. Shit. Was he going to redo the compulsion thing? Therese would have something to say about that! "No," he said, in answer to my unvoiced fear, "No compulsions, love. This time I will _devour _you," he whispered, his red eyes inches from mine. "I'll twist your soul, cage it and lock it deep inside me where you will never, ever escape."

I tried not to panic, but I couldn't help wiggling under his weight, frightened and waiting for Therese to emerge to repel him as nastily as she had Shane. But she wasn't afraid. Therese was listening, fascinated and passive. I found my eyes closing as I shivered again with a mix of fear and anticipation. _Here he goes again, showing me the monster within him._ I wouldn't reject him this time, not now that I understood, but it cost me not to struggle. A small, throaty sound escaped me, and I felt his entire body tense. He paused to savor my scent once more, tongue darting out to taste my neck. I felt the strength of his aura pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket, and knew that with just a little tweak I could...do something, I wasn't sure what. I waited to see what he would do, what Therese would to do, uncertain if she would allow it or if it were even good or bad, acceptance or retaliation.

I felt his weight shift as he released my hair. I jumped as a wave of sharp sensation seared across my chest. I whimpered a little, realizing he'd just drawn his claws down my front, leaving the fabric in shreds. It didn't hurt, though he'd nicked my skin as well- the wounds didn't exactly feel good, but they tingled and burned with a sweet, promising fire. I forced myself not to react in shock or fear, afraid that Therese would leap out and throttle him, but she was still passive, waiting and hanging on his every word with rapt attention.

"I warned you, Evie. I warned you I would not be gentle when I finally caught you," he whispered darkly, lips brushing my ear. "You'll regret this. I'll swallow your screams, gorge myself on your blood. Your pleas will be sweet to my ears, as you beg me to release you. I'll fill you with my essence until I drip from your every pore. I'll blacken your aura, invade your mind until every last dark corner of your psyche is laid bare to me."

My breath came quicker. I was still uncertain where this was going. I'd heard all these threats before, but never delivered in such a low, sensual voice. Seducing me with promises of pain and torment? Was he out of his mind? All I'd wanted was a little cut on the cheek, and I wasn't even sure if he'd taken it as a compliment or an insult!

I cried out against his palm over my mouth as he bit me on the shoulder, waves of heated sensation rippling from the site through my veins as his venom raced through me. His tongue swirled over the twin punctures as I began to tremble. I wasn't afraid, exactly, but I was aware that something was happening, something irreversible and significant. _ Let it, _Therese whispered. _Let him. I want this. I need this._

His weight still pressed me down, but the floor was suddenly much softer. I opened my eyes to see that he'd jumped us to his bed. I blinked at him in surprise, as his words rearranged themselves in my head from promising unbearable torment into something entirely different. I gasped as he finally released my mouth, seizing my hair again instead and kissing me hungrily. The metallic taste of my blood was on his tongue, and another odd, bittersweet flavor I'd only gotten occasional hints of before. My lips and tongue tingled as I returned the kiss, yielding, surrendering. He shifted again, shoving aside the torn fabric, and I felt another rake of his claws on my thigh as he finished the job of rending the robes I wore. He was already naked, having dispensed with clothing during the jump. He suddenly thrust into me without further preamble.

I did scream against his lips, but it wasn't in pain. The tingling, tangy sensations from the wounds suddenly blazed into nearly unbearable fire. I could barely breathe, the pleasure was so intense. Each of his caresses added to it as his claws scored new scorching trails across my skin- never deep enough to cause serious harm, sometimes never breaking the skin at all. I waited for Therese to react with outrage at the bloodletting, but she relished the sensations, reveling in his attentions. I felt my body going slick and slippery and dared not look down. It was horrifying and wildly erotic at once. I was certainly screaming for him, as he'd predicted, unable to stop myself from writhing and struggling against his strength- not to get away, but simply reacting instinctively to this onslaught of overpowering pleasure. His fangs found the same spot in my throat as the previous evening.

_Oh, god, I am not going to survive this, it's too good...he'll devour me and I won't stop him._

My shields must have been slipping, because he laughed hoarsely as he lapped at the wounds on my neck. He met my eyes at last, smiling wickedly at me. "_Mine_," he growled through clenched teeth, and he increased his pace, a bestial groan slipping from him. Now I felt his mind slipping in, pushing past my defenses. My excited cries ceased as I tensed, suddenly wary of what he would see in there. Would he find me weak, or lacking in some way? He chuckled at my reaction, pressing deeper, swiftly sifting through memories and fantasies, emotions and wordless desires, until my battered soul was laid bare to him. _Too late_, he whispered in my head. I rose to meet him, allowing my shields to fall, flinging the familiar bonds wide open. He faltered in his pace as he sensed my guard lowering, then picking it up again as he accepted the action.

Suddenly he was drawing, stealing the energy from my _chi _with greedy pulls, and I screamed again at the sensation. It was too much, between the sex and the venom and the mind invasion- and now the energy exchange? I made a wordless plea against his lips, begged him to tone it down a little. His thoughts swirled around me, amused, reminding me of his prediction that I would beg for release. His fang pierced my tongue as he kissed me hungrily, the bite resonating with all of the other little wounds on me, each a pinpoint of light throbbing with burning pleasure that bordered on pain. Mercilessly he continued to draw from me, as I surrendered helplessly to the sensations, unable to do anything except hang on for the ride. He was so strong, so old, so powerful, and his essence filled me as he reversed the flow, pushing energy back into my_ chi. _

It was too much. I came, hard, every muscle taught around him, unable even to scream as the shock of it stole the breath from my lungs. But we weren't finished yet, and he continued his motions even against my reflexive tightening. He groaned against the increased pressure, mingled pain and pleasure. My entire body felt electric, charged with magic until it seeped from me. His scent surrounded me, his essence wrapped and wove around me like a net. He pulled his magic back from my_ chi_ again as I shuddered against him, more alive than I had ever felt.

One last mote of resistance rose in me, as the sensations grew nearly unbearable and the energies we were exchanging grew steadily more powerful.

_Ash! __I don't want to-_

_You won't._

_But I'm not wearing silver!_

_I trust you._

The vague fear that he might be wrong was an aphrodisiac in itself, for both of us. For all his domineering talk, he was putting himself in my power. He couldn't have done any of this to me if I hadn't allowed it. Therese reached for his _chi_ hungrily and drew him in, reveling in the power we held over her ancient, powerful male, and Ash pulled us back into himself, reveling in his dominance over his difficult, unruly, frustrating female. The sensations were blurring together, our identities beginning to blur as our auras and energies mingled. His shields wavered and fell, adding to the maelstrom of confusion.

With a suddenness that shocked us both, our auras merged. The union was complete, the web of magic we'd interwoven around each other suddenly strong as a physical binding. I knew we were both screaming, but the pleasure was beyond physical. I felt like I'd dissolved into pure energy, felt the lines about us resonate as our consummation rippled out over the Ever After. Our souls touched, and again I felt expanded, doubled, engulfed in a set of experiences and memories that weren't my own. I didn't try to make any sense of it, simply let it happen, surrendering completely to the experience without trying to understand it. And this time, instead of severing the connection, Ash let me in.

* * *

I came back to myself slowly, awakening from unconsciousness with a feeling of indescribable fulfillment. Whatever we'd done, it had been the most incredible experience of my life.

I lay still, contented, and became aware that Ash was beside me, his warm, lean length pressed against me. I opened my eyes to see him gazing at me with a look on his face that spoke of fondness and perhaps even a little awe. It was quickly wiped away, to be replaced by a look of satisfaction.

I stared back, unable to form words after what had just happened. I expected to be a mass of cuts, scrapes, bruises, and bites, but a quick glance down confirmed there was no sign of any wounds on me beyond a residual tingle where they'd been. I was a little disconcerted that I wasn't more squicked out by this latest round of rather violent lovemaking, then gave an internal shrug. I was a demon. I guess it affected me more than I wanted to admit. _Freak out later. Content now._

"_Berexadtha_," Ash whispered, his hand skimming lightly over my skin, the gentle caress making me shiver a little. The unfamiliar word carried a meaning I couldn't even guess at. We were separate again, the magic that had bound us entirely dissipated. Fragments of memory were starting to come back to me though, jumbles that made no sense to my conscious mind, but which carried undercurrents of pain, pleasure, fulfillment, contentment, fear, rapture.

"Wow," I whispered back, having no better word in any language on hand at the moment.

Ash grinned at me, his expression now smug as anything. "Just try to disentangle us _now_, love," he said softly, and cupped my cheek for a long, eloquent kiss. As I melted against him, I felt a trail of fire down the side of my face, fire that quickly settled into a pleasant tingle, then faded away.


	57. Bittersweet Nothings

_A brief interlude of fluff before the next catastrophe..._

_He's kind of like the cat who brings you a nice decapitated mouse. You have to appreciate the gesture. LOL.  
_

**In Which Ash Gets Romantic In His Own….**_**Special**_** Way.**

So now I'd been introduced to the latest weirdness of being a demon woman, I thought, as I examined my new scar in the mirror. It was nearly in the same place as before. It was much more deliberate-looking this time around, having healed smoothly with a little TLC from my bloodthirsty partner.

_And yes, bloodthirsty is pretty much the right word, there, isn't it? Yikes._

Once I'd gotten past the ick factor, and the fact that I'd spent over four hours in an unconscious venom-induced stupor, and the sneaking suspicion that the vague dreams I'd had about being tickled all over by an attentive tongue weren't _entirely _dreams…well, OK, I hadn't gotten quite past all that. I wasn't squeamish, hadn't been since I was a kid (nothing was as bad as the education in human anatomy I'd received at the tender age of sixteen), but my demon lover's violent tendencies had never made themselves quite as salient before. Not that I'd ever thought he was a sweet fuzzy kitten under that gruff exterior, but…clawing one's lover to ribbons during sex?

The worst thing was looking in the mirror and realizing that I was trying hard to feel more shocked than I actually felt.

No, the worst thing was looking in the mirror and realizing that I'd enjoyed every perverse moment of it, including the exciting fear that he'd lose control and go too far.

No, I admitted to myself, staring hard at my reflection in the mirrored door of the wardrobe. The _worst _thing was confronting the fact that there had been a moment during our union when I could have taken him out like snuffing a candle, and that I'd been tempted. It would have been _so easy_. And that temptation would remain, because it was part of me- even though I was so charged up from the previous night that I still felt like sex on two legs, purring with every sensual movement I made.

"So do you suppose vampires do similar things behind closed doors?" I asked, trying to distract myself from these grim ruminations.

"Most assuredly," he replied, amused.

"I wonder why vampires hadn't taken over the world, then," I mused, trailing a finger over the faintest set of paired scars on my throat. "Well, I guess there's that little price a vampire's minion has to pay, what with losing their free will and all." _I don't feel any different. Well, no, that's not right. I feel absolutely incredible. Not at all like I'm missing anything important, like, say, a soul. _"So am I your shadow, now, on top of everything else? What was all that shit about caging my soul?"

He shrugged. "Mostly just talk, love. All that nonsense was just to set the mood. It's no fun if I just say, 'please,' after all."

"Set the _mood_?" I burst out laughing. "I suppose '_I'll defile you'_ is considered a high compliment in demon circles? You sure know how to make a girl feel special," I told him, examining my side and finding the faintest of lines marring my once absolutely smooth skin. I felt like I'd been initiated into some kind of exclusive club, and the fact that Ash hadn't stopped grinning and gloating once since I'd awoken only reinforced that notion.

"You're the first woman I've ever taken to my bed to feel that way about it," he replied. He was lounging comfortably, all lean teasing perfection, but his red eyes followed my movements with barely suppressed hunger.

"I'm sure," I said wryly. I had a feeling I was the first and _only _woman to even _survive _it. He'd told me he'd pumped enough poison into me to fell a small herd of humans or elves, and even a witch would have been out for weeks, if not permanently. Add to it the power-pulling, and not even a witch would have lived through it. It wasn't something he could do to me every day- he'd need time to recharge his supply, apparently. Thank goodness for small mercies, because that level of danger and intimacy wasn't something I wanted to experience on a daily basis.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Ash, wipe that smirk off your face!" I said, trying for irritability but unable to suppress my own mirth. "Or are you about to lay another bombshell on me, like we've just done the ritual for demon marriage and are now bound for life?"

"_Life?_ God's little green apples, _no_," he replied, pretending to look shocked. "A month or two before it wears off, at most. It's not magic, it's just biology," he added at my disbelieving look. "You'll metabolize it soon enough." He licked his lips, and added in a sensual tone, "…unless you beg for _more_, of course."

_So a little scar on the chest is this big ritualistic thing that gives me legal privileges and whatnot, but going spelunking into the darkest corners of each others' souls and setting the lines singing all throughout the Ever After is no big deal? Uh huh. I believe that._ I threw him another skeptical look, but he seemed sincere. "So, are there any more…surprises in store for me?" I asked. "Tentacles, perhaps? Big slimy octopus tentacles with suckers? Horns? Additional appendages?"

Ash grinned wickedly. "If you like," he offered.

"_Aaah!_ I was _kidding_!"

"_I _wasn't," he said teasingly. "Additional appendages sound like a lot of fun. I could take on the three-headed lion shape, that's always good for a laugh. Perhaps you'd enjoy swapping genders some time? Or maybe…"

I gawked at him as he morphed into my shape. "Now you're just messing with me," I accused.

"Hardly. What do you think we did all those years without women?" he said, with my voice. "I doubt you could name a single thing that I haven't tried at _some_ point."

"Uh." A whole parade of unwanted images marched before my eyes. "Um." Then I wondered why he had stored curses to change him into my shape, and a whole new parade of images pranced by. "_Aaak_! Stop that! Get out of my shape!"

He morphed back into himself in a shimmer of Ever After, musing, "But we couldn't fully express ourselves with each other. No matter how much we change on the outside, males can't tolerate it."

"The…" I made finger-claws and mimed raking them down his chest. "…venom thing?"

"Yeah. Males get a pretty brutal reaction if they get another demon's venom in their system. You should see what happens to vampires, it's pretty spectacular."

So I'd heard. "What about females? Do they get any bad reactions? Should I not let Al bite me again?" I asked innocently, as if it were a possibility. Ash had been beyond mellow this morning, and I wanted to see how far down it went by poking him a little.

Ash snatched me up from behind and captured me against his chest before I'd realized he'd moved, growling a little too loudly to mistake it for the purring he'd been rumbling with all morning. "He won't want to. _No_ male will want you as long as your scent is so entwined with mine. Except _me_," he amended, and I couldn't help sighing for him as his lips trailed down my neck. His fingers tightened where he held me, and I could feel him surge to life against my hip again. Good grief, he really was insatiable. I told him so, playfully trying to wriggle free, but he held me fast. "You don't know how incredibly erotic it is to smell my female so impregnated with my scent," he whispered, and my eyes flew open wide.

"Oh, shit, Ash, I'm not—"

"No," he reassured me quickly. "Poor choice of words. I told you I'd take care of it." I stayed frozen in his grip, and he frowned. "Seriously, Evie, as luscious as you are, I have absolutely _no_ desire to procreate. Certainly not now. Probably not ever."

I stared at him in the mirror. "_Probably_?" I asked. I wasn't certain if I were insulted, relieved, disappointed, or perhaps all of the above. I mean, it was the last thing I wanted, but…wasn't I good enough, damn it?

He rolled his eyes at my expression, though he was still smiling. "Knock it off. Don't get all huffy for such an idiotic reason."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's…just…" …_that I don't trust you,_ I finished in my head. _I don't trust you not to try to trick me into it if you change your mind._ "I need to have control over that aspect of my life," I finished somewhat lamely.

"How do I put this…?" he said, once again nestling his nose against my hair. "We both have to want it. There's a particular ritual involved. Until then—"

"Tell me about it!" I insisted. I was not going to have Al laughing at me again.

He rolled his eyes again in exasperation, as if the subject were completely unimportant and irrelevant right now. "Use your head, Yvette," he said impatiently. "How do vampires do it?"

"Blood exchange," I said faintly, grimacing. "Got it. Right. _So _not happening."

He smiled humorlessly. "We'll know it if you're ripe. Trust me, you won't find the idea nearly as distasteful then. When that time comes, we'll just stick you in silver during our copulations to control the bloodlust, and we'll be fine."

I just made an ick face, both at the thought and at the archaic terminology he was using. Ripe? Copulations? For the love of Pete, could he be any more crude?

"So…" I said, staring at our reflection as his hand began to wander and I had to work to keep from getting more distracted, "so _that's_ how it works for demons, then? You poison me so I smell like you, and that keeps the other guys away? Then it eventually triggers some kind of bloodlust in me to encourage mating? Geez, that's so..._primeval_!" I was really annoyed at Therese for not agreeing with me, but she was positively purring. In her view, she'd ensnared a powerful male to the extent that he'd actually tried such a potentially suicidal action, and she was unrepentantly gleeful about it.

He rumbled appreciatively again, nipping my neck. "_Demonic_," he corrected. "And lest you think we're weren't a progressive society, don't forget the power you can command. Females killed any male that attempted it without the proper courtship. And sometimes _with_, if the males didn't pass muster, had weak venom, or weren't attentive enough to their partner. You're a touchy, prickly bunch. "

"So you're just _that_ special." Again, I sent Therese an accusatory WTF? vibe, and she just shrugged in return. No doubt about it, she was happy as a clam. I wondered exactly what her criteria were, and how Ash of all demons met them when so many perfectly nice witches had been deemed unacceptable over the years. Maybe she just liked the way he smelled.

He grinned with gleeful giddiness. "Apparently, or you wouldn't have goaded me into it in the first place."

"I did no such thing!" I insisted indignantly. "I had _no idea_ that you'd react that way!"

"All those years," he said, and his eyes had fixed on mine with feral intensity, "all those years you displayed my scar, teasing me, dangling yourself just out of my reach, until I had to make the _lamest_ bargain I'd ever struck just to have another taste of you. After that, I would have stalked you to the ends of the earth to claim you."

"Ash, that's…" I trailed off, considering. "Actually, that's pretty fucking creepy."

He scowled, slapping me on the behind. "Shut up. I'm trying to flatter you. I swear, Evie, you don't have a romantic bone in your body."

_This was his idea of sweet talk?_ "Well, try saying something that doesn't make you sound so much like a predator. Or at least makes _me_ sound like something other than prey? I swear I'll have nightmares if you keep this up, what with the blood and the fangs and…"

"I'd say you were the greatest challenge I've ever faced, but I'm afraid that you're not- you're kind of a softie and way too easy to manipulate," he said, and I swatted him on the thigh, unable to reach his own backside.

"Try again, or you're sleeping on the couch tonight, buster."

"All right," he said, taking a moment to reach for a pretty sentiment that wasn't an outright lie, or too sappy to survive coming out of a demon's mouth. "I think…I think it will be quite a long time before I am bored of you," he said carefully.

It was so opposite of any kind of romantic sentiment that it almost met it going the other way on the other side of the fucking _universe_, so I laughed appreciatively. "Aw. That's…sweet. For what it's worth, I'm confident that whatever the next few years are like, they'll certainly be far from boring."

"_Years_?" he said incredulously, giving me another mock appalled look. "I was thinking on the order of _weeks_, myself, but if you're_ that_ eager for my attention then I _suppose_ I could try to put up with you for a bit longer. Pushy little wench."

_Yeah, right. Mister 'I'm gonna cage your soul and stalk you to the ends of the Earth, and forget about breaking those familiar bonds' …I believe that. _

You'd think that after briefly experiencing a taste of his soul, I'd _know_ how he felt. But that wasn't how it worked. It was nothing as clear as that. It was more that I'd momentarily seen his…personality, for lack of a better word. Everything that made him, _him._ A few tantalizing flashes of memory, and the surface emotions he'd brought to our exertions, but certainly nothing that translated into words. And emotions were changeable as the wind, anyway, so that what was true during the moments of his greatest pleasure might be a lie directly afterward. It was all impressions, tied together with flavors and colors and bound with the ancient feel of his experiences. Being bound as mutual familiars wasn't some magic solution for communication, and touching souls didn't provide me with his life history or a readout of his intentions. He was just as opaque as ever, and I'm sure I was likewise opaque to him. We'd just have to stumble along as best we could.


	58. A Brief Interlude

_The sudden proliferation of wonderful Rachel/Al stories out there has inspired me to join in the fun with this little side story. More details along these lines if the response is positive! _

_This story begins shortly before the events of chapter 56._

**Interlude: In Which Al's Workshop Suffers Yet More Damage.  
**

"Al! Answer your damned phone!" Rachel's hand was pressed against the inscribed mirror so hard that it nearly shattered. "I do _not _appreciate you sending me on wild goose chases!"

Pierce watched her with amusement as she prepared to give Al a stern dressing-down. She knew Pierce loved it when she got so fiery with fury, even when it was directed at him. _Especially_ when it was directed at him. He was good at provoking her. And he seemed to be doing it more often as of late.

Al, too, had seemed hell-bent on pissing her off more than usual. This latest stunt was just the icing on the cake.

_And what can I do for you, my itchy witch?_ His mental signature was shot through with smugness. She itched to slap him through the mirror.

"You ass! If you'd given us proper directions, we might have made it there before she had to kill someone to escape!"

_A lowly elf, who was trying to kill her in turn. Don't waste pity on him- her actions were justifiable even according to your unrealistically lofty ideals._

"That's not the point! Now the demon-elf war is going to start up again, and the Coven's going to get itchy trigger-fingers about Lee and I, and all that work I did to convince them I wasn't a threat is going to vanish down the drain! And it's all _your_ fault!"

_Really? How intriguing. I do seem to recall a bet we made some while ago, regarding such matters._

"Damn it, Al! You are not allowed to cheat like that! That wasn't the deal!"

_You never said I couldn't cheat, itchy witch. But I didn't deliberately set out to sabotage you. I had something else in mind entirely. Not that you'll like it much, either…it involves your new 'sister.'_

"Al! I told you to leave her alone!" She could sense his smug enjoyment of her anger, and the way he was deliberately goading her, and couldn't help her surge of impotent fury. She wished briefly that it were night already, so that she could summon his demon ass over to reality to shout at him more effectively. But the sun had risen hours ago, and she was still in Colorado anyway- hardly a good place and time to summon a demon after the events of the past few days, even if she hadn't promised not to summon him at all.

_Jealous, sweet? She _is_ quite something, now that I've restored her youth. She'll make an excellent student._

"If you hurt her-"

_Hurt her? My dear, hurt doesn't even begin to describe what I'll put her through. And she'll thank me for every moment. _

Rachel's stomach churned when she caught the mingled satisfaction and anticipation in his thoughts, and felt something even worse twisting her gut. She pulled her hand away from the mirror as if it burnt her, staring at it without seeing it. A horrified look crossed her face, followed by a steady burning blush.

"Rachel?" Pierce was by her side in an instant, and she looked up at him with a lost, almost pleading expression on her face.

"Shit," she said, but gave no further explanation. Instead she buried her face in his chest, pulling his scent into her as if trying to purge her nose of something far worse. But it didn't entirely work- Pierce stank of the burnt amber of the Ever After. Still, he smelled reassuringly of male witch and lover, despite also smelling faintly of the demon he lived with and was bound to. She sighed and pulled away, realizing she was deliberately picking out that latter scent and feeling a wretched combination of furious, confused, and very, very guilty.

"Ms. Sinclaire is all right?" Pierce asked, wondering if that was the source of her distress.

"I…I don't know. He made it sound like he's got her, and is making her his student, too. Do you know what he's up to?"

"No. I can't get anything from him on this side of the lines."

Rachel was torn between two desperate desires- the first to help the woman she was rapidly coming to think of as a friend, and the other to avoid seeing Al again for as long as she lived. The latter being impossible thanks to their various deals, she sighed. "Pierce, will you take me over there? I know that's what he wants, but…I can't just leave it like this, I have to know what he's doing to her."

Pierce raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you, the lines are closed to summoning at the moment. If he sends me away, you'll be stuck there until Ceri can pull you back at sunset."

"I'll risk it," she said firmly, though the prospect was unnerving.

"As you wish," he said, having stopped with the formal "Mistress Witch" business long ago, when they'd become steady lovers.

She and Pierce reappeared in Al's workroom shortly thereafter. Thanks to her unwilling bond with Bis, she no longer needed the gargoyle to accompany her on the jump through the lines, but she was still unable to fly solo without Pierce's assistance. Treble was still tutoring the young gargoyle in the finer points of line travel, and Rachel eagerly awaited the day that she could travel the lines again without anyone's help. She still felt guilty about Bis being bound to her, but he was very happy with the arrangement. Gargoyles had biological imperatives to bond, and, as Bis kept reassuring her, he couldn't have bonded with a nicer demon.

Well, that much was true, she thought, as Al looked up from the curse he was busily twisting. "Back so soon, student?" he asked nonchalantly, though she could see the satisfied gleam in his red eyes as they peered at her over his smoked glasses. "Well, since you're here now, I might as well be hospitable. Pierce! Prepare us a meal."

Pierce rolled his eyes at his demon master, but complied without further protest. It was more than obvious that Al simply wanted an excuse to talk to Rachel alone. It was no more than she'd expected.

"Come," Al said, beckoning her over to see what he was doing. "This is something you'll find relevant-"

"I'm not here for lessons, Al," she snapped, striding over anyway. "I want an explanation. Nothing in our agreement said you could take another student!"

"Nothing in our agreement said I_ couldn't_," he replied mildly, still busily manipulating a string to form an odd pattern on the slate table, tacking it down with some sticky sludge that didn't bear closer inspection. "I only have you once a week. You needn't worry that it will interfere with your lessons. Unless you're interested in more time together?" He smiled at her lewdly, and she bristled. "I know I'd certainly find _ample_ ways to utilize the extra hours."

"That's not the point!" she snapped, choosing to ignore the innuendo.

"Then what, exactly, is your point, Rachel?" Al asked, ceasing his spelling and pausing to clean his glasses with a white handkerchief. "I give you my word that I won't kill her. At least, not on purpose. In fact, I am most interested in keeping her alive."

"For_ what_?" Rachel asked, folding her arms.

Al looked at her innocently. "What do you think?"

Rachel regarded him with impotent anger. Did he want her to spell it out? What did he think she thought he wanted Evie for? "If I find out you're…"

"….seducing her?" Al suggested, his tone very suggestive indeed. "What business of yours would it be, my itchy witch?"

"It wouldn't be _seduction _if she were unwilling," Rachel growled, furious.

Al looked at her with mock indignation. "My dear Rachel Mariana Morgan, you wound me. What macabre tales has my familiar been spinning for you? I assure you, what happened last week was purely consensual. I'm sure she'd agree if you asked her. Had Pierce not interrupted us so rudely, I have no doubt at all that-"

They both froze as they felt the ripples in the lines about them. She'd felt something similar, years ago, but this was even headier and more magically charged. The lines were ringing, their resonance momentarily changing frequencies- at least, that's how she was used to thinking of her odd sense of the lines. She could just have easily described it in terms of shifting colors, or subtly slipping from one taste or scent to another. She felt the hair on her neck rise, she felt prickles on her arms, and she felt suddenly overwhelmed with an emotion she couldn't place.

_Fulfillment,_ she thought. _Completion_. And holy shit, _lust_ like she'd never experienced before. Not entirely physical lust, either, but the urge to devour mind, body, soul and blood.

She completely lost track of what Al was saying and staggered a few steps, trying to regain her orientation. She heard Al's stool clatter as he stood, similarly affected, and heard him swear as he fell against the table.

It faded quickly to a low hum, as the lines settled back into their usual songs, but the unnatural feelings lingered uneasily in her mind. She felt the blood that had drained from her face returning with a vengeance as she met Al's eyes. He quickly looked away, searching the room absently as he scanned the air and interpreted what his senses told him.

His chuckle was low and rumbly. "I'll be damned," he said. "The little twerp actually did it. Lucky bastard." The last two words were spoken so low that Rachel was certain they weren't meant for her ears.

"What…the hell…was _that_?" she asked incredulously, her hands clutching her shoulders in a tight hug. She felt like she might explode, but she wasn't sure how that explosion would express itself.

Al had turned his back to her, gaze fixed on the fire. "I've apparently lost a bet," he said, his attempt at nonchalance failing utterly. "Nothing to be concerned about, Rachel."

She'd never heard such tension in his voice, not even when he'd been furiously threatening her with defilement and death. "Al…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Go," he said. "This conversation is over. Have Pierce take you home."

She wasn't about to be dismissed so easily. "The hell I will!" she snapped irritably, trying with all her might to dredge up the anger she'd been feeling, in order to drive out the confusing, violent sensations she was currently battling. "We're not finished here!"

He turned his head to give her a sidelong glance, eyes still hidden behind dark glasses. _Why does he even wear those ridiculous things in a dark, barely firelit room_? she wondered furiously, seized by a sudden urge to rip them off his face and stomp on them. "Oh yes, we are," he said warningly.

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" she insisted, stepping closer.

He turned to face her, his hands gripping the edge of the slate table as if it were an anchor. She stopped dead when she saw his eyes fix on hers over the glasses, flashing to her every ounce of the confused war of lust and violence and desire she herself was feeling. "_Get out of my sight_!" he roared, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I just wanted to be certain everything was-" Pierce said from behind her, but with another roar Al threw something at him, something that glittered with a deadly red fire. Rachel whirled just in time to see Pierce vanish an instant before it hit him. Al growled, a deep, long, low, resonating sound that shouldn't even have been possible to make with a throat that was in human shape, and Rachel's whole being vibrated with it. It struck a primal chord in her brain, warning her that now was not the time to further goad this predator into an attack.

"You as well, my itchy witch," he said, his cultured voice unsteady, giving the word "my" a deeper meaning.

She couldn't move. She was unable to break the stare, unwilling to turn her back on him. Her entire being hummed with the danger he represented, and the unreasonable desire she had to approach him, as a moth approaches a flame. Her lips parted as she again tried to break the spell, say anything that would diffuse the insanity that had come over her.

"Now would be a _very_ good time to listen to your teacher," he said, and she was startled to see a hint of what looked like fangs. Even as he spoke, he was slowly moving toward her. He still clutched the table, inching along with a smooth, eerie, predatory grace that was so far from human that her brain shrieked with warning.

And still she couldn't bring herself to move! His scent was in the air, wrapping around her like a net from which she realized she didn't want to escape. _He's in a vampire's shape, and he's bespelling me, _she tried to convince herself frantically, fighting the influence…but it wasn't from him, the influence was leaking from her very bones.

"What is this?" she managed to ask, through gritted teeth. She still had her arms wrapped tight about her chest, and forced them to her sides. "Al, snap out of it. I just came here to talk."

"I'm afraid that I'm not in a_ talking_ mood right now, love," he said, and loomed before her. His hand was buried in her curls before she realized he'd moved, and she was caught. But he did nothing further, simply held her firmly by the hair, eyes hidden behind those stupid, stupid glasses.

Rachel gave in to her urge to rip them off, and did so, chucking them aside irritably. It was probably a mistake, because now she could clearly see the hot desire in his eyes, and it speared through her core to turn her knees to jelly. The heat of his body reached her though they were still separated by a fair distance. She took a deep shuddering breath, which was another mistake, because it brought to her his scent, now heavy with his arousal. She pressed a hand to his chest to push him away. And again, this was a mistake, because she felt the rapid beat of his heart and his quick, shallow breaths, as he stood with all the tension of a coiled spring before her.

She swallowed hard, and he bent down to her to whisper in her ear. "Run, my itchy witch," he suggested. "Else I may forget my promise."

_Promise? What promise_? She couldn't even think what he meant, but it was clear that he felt honor bound not to take the next step. She felt the strain of his control in the strength of his hand, tensing in her hair. She heard the sigh of his breath as he took in her own scent, which she knew must be deepening with her own arousal.

"Oh, god," she said, denial heavy in her voice. She wanted him. The ripples in the line had awoken something in her, something that had slept dormant all this time. She wanted more than sex, she wanted him, all of him, on such a primal, visceral level that it left her breathless with desire. "Oh, _god_."

"He's not here…it's just the two of –" Al's surprised _mmph!_ became a guttural groan as Rachel grabbed him by his lace collar and yanked his head to hers. She attacked his lips with a ferocity that appeared to surprise him even more than her, because he hesitated briefly. Then he cast all restraint aside, his tongue dancing with hers. She writhed against him, moaning against his lips with a combination of despair and demand. His erection pressed hard against her belly as, promises forgotten, he crushed her body against his with greedy passion. His ungloved hands roamed freely over her slender shape, just as hers explored him in a manner she'd never even fantasized about before.

Sure, she'd had brief little fantasies about what it would be like to kiss her demon, vague naughty wonderings about what it'd be like to make love to him, but they fell short of this reality. She felt as if she were on fire, heat flaring in her loins and her breast as she kissed him wildly, feeling him yield under her onslaught. Her emotions were in a turmoil, her lust for him only enhanced by the guilt and anger she felt at this utter betrayal by her own body.

They were moving, and she felt him tap a line. After he made a swiping motion directed behind her, she heard the crash of all of his expensive ley line equipment as it was swept to the floor. His purpose was obvious enough. She fell back against the low table, which happened to be the perfect height. Then she was sitting, legs wrapped around him as he ground his hips against hers. She felt full of him already, of his scent and the strange sweetness of his taste, tingling her tongue. She couldn't get enough of his kisses, whimpering a little at the hunger that she couldn't sate.

His hand grasped her hair tighter and pulled, his lips fastening on the smooth, white column of her bared throat. She gasped and whimpered again as he began to kindle the vampire scars he'd left at their first meeting, playing on the soft flesh with lips, teeth, and magic until she almost sobbed with the ecstasy. She was frightened at the violence of her response to him, more frightened still with the thought of where this was leading now that she'd given him permission.

"Rachel," he moaned against her neck, and she felt the unmistakable rasp of two very sharp teeth. "_Rachel._" His voice was breathless as he said her name again, the two syllables carrying in them years of longing. She screamed for him as he bit her, the savagery of desperation making him drive deep. She convulsed around him, unable to separate pain from pleasure, her nails raking the skin of his neck and shoulders. He drew several greedy gulps before he got hold of his instincts. She felt his magic take hold and fix the damage, bringing the pleasure to a climax as it grew into the heady, erotic sensation of Al channeling ley line power through her. From his lips, the sweet, tingling energy flowed through her to pool near his hand on her bared midriff.

"Al!" she screamed again, as the pleasure crested and she shook with her release, straining every muscle to press herself against him as tightly as she could.

The orgasm had cleared her head slightly, reducing some of the pressure of the wild need that filled her. She grabbed a double handful of the green velvet frock, keeping him close as they fought for control. Her eyes met his again, wide and startled. His panting breaths were warm and moist on her face. "What is this?" she cried. "Al, this isn't natural!"

She'd been ready to accuse him of wrapping her up in some curse or another, except that he'd been even more startled than she was. She began to tremble, felt his hands tense on her as he felt it. "Hush, Rachel," he said, though his voice was low and rough and far from steady or reassuring. "Just…hush. It's a side effect of an ancient demon magic. Not of our making."

To her surprise, Rachel shuddered with something between sobs and choking laughter. "It's fucked up, is what it is," she said. "God damn. Damn it all to hell. What have I done? Pierce…"

The demon's eyes narrowed, and Rachel thought perhaps it hadn't been the most ideal time to remind him of her relationship with his familiar. Now she was rather surprised that Al had allowed it all this time, given how much raw desire she'd seen in his eyes, and the obvious, pointed jealousy she saw there now. She gasped as Al bent forward and kissed her again, this time pouring all the experience of his many thousands of years into it, until her head spun and her body felt swathed in lust. She gasped again as he released her, and she fell backward, awkwardly, onto the slate table.

His eyes glittered as they traveled over her lean form, her flushed face and swollen lips, her legs still splayed apart. She could see quite clearly what effect the view had on him, though he straightened with dignity and tugged at his lace out of pure habit. "I'll leave it to him to chart you home, then, lovey," he said quietly. "A word of caution, however. In the mood you're in, you're more likely to kill the witch than pleasure him, and I wouldn't take the death of my familiar kindly."

"What?" she gasped.

"And secondly," he said, a cruel smile on his lips, "I have just used up every last ounce of patience and mercy I possess. Whether you kill him or not, don't try to follow _me- _unless you're willing to face the consequences."

"What do you mean, I'll kill him? Al? Answer me!"

With a playful little wave, the demon vanished, leaving Rachel alone in the workroom- alone but for the very real ghost of his scent.

"Crap. Crap on toast!" she swore. "Crap on toast covered with fairy farts!" The worst part was, he was absolutely right. His dismissal hadn't left her any less confused, or any less randy. Instead, she was finding herself filling with a rather hideous rage at being abandoned at such a time.


	59. Coffee and Scotch

_This chapter just poured out of me in about an hour this afternoon...enjoy!  
_

**Interlude 2: Girl Talk**

Evie's eyes were wide as she sipped her coffee. It was an indication of how distracted she was that she didn't grimace or otherwise react to the swill they sold in the demon mall, but simply swallowed without comment. Her blush had long since vanished, but her hands were a little shaky, even so. "Then what happened?" she asked.

Rachel's face was still red as anything. Her coffee was untouched, forgotten. "What would you have done?" she asked.

The older woman sat across from Rachel in the guise of a pretty young woman, barely out of her teens. She was a far cry from the bitter-looking older woman she'd been, and Rachel tried not to forget that Evie was well over twice her age. Her shoulder-length hair was black and lustrous, framing a heart-shaped face marred by a vivid red scar on one cheek. Rachel was surprised that the rejuvenation spell hadn't fixed that feature, but it didn't seem to bother Evie in the slightest.

Evie thought a moment. "Hid," she said empathetically, with a smile. "But then, Al still scares the shit out of me."

Rachel laughed. "I thought about hiding, but…no, I did something even dumber."

Evie's eyes crinkled with sympathy. "You found Pierce and told him everything."

Rachel nodded glumly. "He…didn't take it well."

"_How _not well?" Evie asked.

"Really, _really_ not well," Rachel said. "I think I can safely say that we are no longer an item. I think it's been coming for awhile, though. I mean, now I can see a lot of things I hadn't really been wanting to admit, you know?" She sighed, resting her cheek on her palm. "I never in a million years would have let myself believe that Al…I mean, he says that shit to everyone, even other demons!"

"He is rather a flirt, isn't he?" Evie said neutrally.

Rachel's grin twisted into a grimace. "_Flirt_ isn't exactly the word I'd use…more like he's an equal-opportunity serial molester with a Casanova complex."

Evie laughed appreciatively. "Yep, that's him. But…" Her eyes traveled to the red-rimmed bites on Rachel's neck. "How many of them does he bite?"

Rachel shrugged. "No idea," she said. "He's probably an equal opportunity vampire, too."

Evie shook her head. "He didn't tell you anything about venom, did he?" She put her cup down with a clink, a new look of understanding in her eyes. "So that's why he dragged me off to have lunch with you. Heh. _Coward._" She chuckled, and returned to the first theme. "Anyway, so what happened after Pierce?"

But Rachel had latched onto the new topic. "_Venom_?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's a lot like vamp saliva. Well, actually, almost exactly like vamp saliva. It's not a virus, though. Demons made the vampires, didn't you know? Don't worry, I'll explain all about it…I just want you to finish your story first."

Rachel put her head in her hands and rubbed her face, not eager to recall the rest. "Well, after Pierce stormed off, I had nowhere to go. I couldn't get home without either him, or Al. And I was still…disturbed. Evie…I was so furious at them! If Pierce hadn't left, I think I might have…I think I might have attacked him. I've never been so angry in my life, not even at Trent!"

Evie took another sip of her coffee, and this time she made a disgusted face and spat it back out. "Ugh. I forgot," she said, glaring at her coffeecup. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I've tried to kill Ash. And I mean, really kill him. He's sent me into completely irrational rages over the most stupid things. It's why I agreed to let Al teach me."

"God, I still don't understand why you'd agree to that!" Rachel said, feeling her face flush again. "He's such a manipulative bastard!"

Evie stared at Rachel with a very calculatedly calm expression. "It's because he's not _my_ demon," she said simply. "I won't kill him…at least not on purpose in a fit of rage."

Rachel found herself taking a deep breath, finding the woman's scent under the pervasive stench of burnt amber. Rachel felt something untwist inside her, slightly, though she wasn't certain why. Evie seemed to know, though, and Rachel looked at her suspiciously again, wondering what Evie wasn't telling her. Evie stared placidly back, a small, perhaps even wistful or sad smile on her lips. Rachel tried to pull her thoughts back to her story, and stem the odd, possessive turn her thoughts had taken. This was all so weird!

"So Pierce stormed out, and if he wasn't actively trying to kill Al before, I have a feeling he's out for blood now. Not that Al will let him. Al's not going to underestimate Pierce like that, not after the splat gun incident. I knew I couldn't do anything to stop it, and that made me even more pissed off. But it was such a strange reason for being pissed off…"

Evie lifted an eyebrow. "May I make a guess?" she asked, and Rachel nodded. "You were pissed off because they're both yours, and they want to kill each other," she said bluntly.

Rachel's eyes widened and she nodded. "Y-yeah! Is this a demon thing?"

Evie nodded. "Yup. I'd be angry enough to try to kill anyone who threatened Ash. Not because I'm desperately in love with him, but because if anyone's going to kill him, it'll be _me_. I finally worked that out just this morning. I imagine that Al feels the same way about you." She chuckled humorlessly. "Pretty fucked up, isn't it? That's demons for you. You get a double dose, because you're very attached to Pierce, too. And Al owns him, not you. And Pierce can sense it, and is rebelling against it, because witches just don't have that instinct. I imagine it's maddeningly frustrating for everyone involved."

Rachel stared at her, open mouthed. "Holy shit." She was silent as she worked through all that, and found that it was both horrifying and true. It explained a lot about vampire behavior, too, she thought. This would take some time to sink in, wouldn't it? She bit her lip, imagining again how Ivy would react when she saw the fresh bite and smelled Al all over her, and buried her head in her hands._ God, Ivy will never, ever forgive me. Just when things were going so well…_

"If it's any consolation, I haven't dealt with it yet, either," she heard Evie tell her gently. "We weren't raised in this culture. It doesn't exactly mesh with the morals we were taught. It's really going to suck for us."

Rachel wanted to wipe the previous evening's events from her mind, but she knew that things would never be the same- not between herself and Ivy, not between herself and Al, and certainly _never_ between herself and Pierce. Pierce had always insisted that he knew what she was and it didn't bother him, but the moment she did something _really_ demonic, he was gone. She felt a sob rise in her chest, but held it in tightly. There were times and places for breaking into sobs, but the demon mall was definitely not one of them.

At least she had no fear of being overheard- not accidentally, anyway. The mall was conspicuously empty of demons and familiars, and the few that were idling around looked really surly or recently abused, respectively. And even those demons who were out and about were avoiding the two women very pointedly, some even curling their lips in disgust as they detoured around their table with twenty feet to spare. Rachel wasn't certain why, though she did notice that the glares seemed to be directed more at Evie than herself.

"Selfish as it is," Evie said softly, "I'm _so_ glad that I'm not dealing with this alone."

"Yeah," said Rachel, hastily wiping her eyes and drawing on the inner well of strength that had served her so well for so long. "Me too."

"So what did you do? Did you follow Pierce? Did you go after Al?"

"Neither," Rachel said, her blush creeping up her fair skin again. "I had nowhere to go- I couldn't go home, not in the state I was in, Ivy wouldn't have been able to deal with it. I couldn't stay in the workshop, and I couldn't hide in Pierce's room, and I didn't dare jump randomly for fear of running into Al, so…I hid." She winced. "In Ceri's room."

Evie's eyes widened. "_Ceri's room_?"

"Yeah. It made sense at the time. I just needed to be alone, to cool off and deal, you know? I knew she had one, I just hadn't been in it before. But there's lots of rooms in Al's new mansion that I hadn't seen so I don't know my way around, and I figured there'd be nothing dangerous in Ceri's room, and Al had said once that I could have it if I moved in so I vowed I'd never set foot in there, so it was the last place anyone would think to look for me…" Rachel realized she had begun to babble and stopped.

"You, uh…didn't notice the door…?" Evie asked carefully.

"I didn't think anything of it," Rachel said, her face now furiously red. "I mean, do you think about doors when you go into a room? It was just a normal door, you know, like in any other bedroom. I assumed it led to a bathroom or something."

Evie's eyes were wide again. "Oh. Uh oh."

Rachel nodded. "Yup. _Uh oh._"

* * *

**Interlude 3: Guy Talk**

Al was massively out of character today, his usual confident demeanor very strained indeed. He'd practically barged in at an ungodly early hour of the evening and dragged Ash out of the room by his ear, sending Evie off to visit Rachel without even consulting Ash first. Ash was not amused, especially by Evie's laughter at the situation, but he was eager to hear Al's story.

It wasn't that Al and Ash were friends, not by a long shot. But they had a history. A long, long,_ very_ long history. There was a lot Evie couldn't possibly have guessed- Ash had been a little amused that she'd taken the rivalry between he and Al so very seriously, when it had been going on ever since Ash had gone into "human resources," as Al described it, over six thousand years before. Algaliarept had been Ash's _yazataksh_, all those years ago, and though their bond had long been severed, there was still a lingering understanding between them.

It had led to many things, this bond, as thousands of years went by and one by one, Al's peers had died, been murdered, or otherwise gone insane. There were few left from his generation, and none at all from Ash's. Over the millennia they had been allies, confidants, lovers, bitter enemies, rivals, and co-conspirators, until the relationship they had was indefinable, even by demon standards.

It was this relationship that had led Ash to confide in Al about the night a paltry little witch had managed to escape him, and it was this relationship that drove Al to drag Ash off for a demon-to-demon bitch session about the difficulties of keeping females. That, and the fact that the only other demon who'd had recent experience with females was Minias, and he was busy pushing up daisies.

Ash was riveted by Al's story, his tumbler of aged scotch suspended forgotten halfway between the table and his lips. "And then what happened?" he asked.

Al buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking as a muffled laugh escaped his gloved fingers. Ash noticed for the first time that Al's usual smoked glasses were missing.

"My itchy witch decided she needed a _shower_."


	60. He Said, She Said

_Hope that this was worth the wait! It's certainly long enough, sheesh. Rachel/Al smut ahead, you've been warned!_

_Man, keeping Rachel in character is tricky. She seems to be a bit more shy of me than Al. Not that I blame her after these last few chapters! On re-read, I realized it might seem that Al's a bit out of character himself. He's been plotting this for years, though, right down to the theatrics with the fire. He's hardly going to bust out his darker side for their first encounter...  
_

**In Which Rachel Relates How She Did Not, In Fact, Get Her Shower**

"A _shower_...?" Evie was back to not grimacing as she took another swig of her raspberry-flavored swamp muck.

Rachel buried her head in her hands. "Yeah. Totally wasn't thinking straight. Just, y'know, barged right in."

"Before or after you took off-"

Her reply was barely audible. "_After._"

* * *

It was pitch black but for a single candle, but Rachel was used to that. Al had been cutting corners wherever possible, and that included not running room lights unless someone was present. She took a few steps inside, one hand stretched out to avoid crashing unexpectedly into a countertop or a shower stall, and invoked the curse to turn on the eldritch globes used in the Ever After instead of light bulbs. They were worse than fluorescents when it came to applying makeup, tinting everything with an subtle, subliminally creepy shade of crimson, but Rachel had grown used to it.

The lights did not go on. From the dim globes behind Ceri's open door, Rachel found she couldn't distinguish much in the room beyond, but it looked larger than she'd expected. It only proved how distracted she was that she didn't turn right around and head back.

Instead, frowning, she invoked the curse again with a snarl. Her patience was already worn threadbare by the events of the evening, and her mind was bent on one goal: the coldest fucking shower in the history of fucking cold showers. When nothing happened, she cursed colorfully. Well, at least there was a candle in here, she thought, not registering that it was a little odd for someone to leave a candle unattended, even in the Ever After. She strode over quickly, daring any wayward furniture to bark her shin- she had a curse all ready to go in the event of such insolence, and desperately wanted an excuse to use it.

She picked up the candle, a simple pillar on a simple tray, and that's when she heard the door click shut behind her.

She whirled, but her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the dim light. She held the candle up and squinted, heart pounding. Several things registered at once. First, the floor beneath her bare feet wasn't tile, but plush carpet. Secondly, the candle had been sitting on a small but intricately carved nightstand instead of a counter, which had also held a book with a leather bookmark. Third, there was no mirror, no sink, nothing resembling a shower stall...instead, there was a very comfy looking bed in here. Covers pleasantly rumpled as if recently vacated.

And fourth...

"Oh, fuck me sideways with Tink's dildo," she whispered, as the scent of her demon hit her like a club over the head.

"Really? Well, if you insist..." a cultured, amused voice replied from the darkness.

* * *

Ash laughed heartily. "Are you _serious?_"

Al grinned and nodded. "There she is, naked except for a towel, looking completely confused. I'm trying not to laugh my head off at the look on her face as she figures it out, and I remember that she can't even see me- and she goes and says _that?_"

"Sounds like permission enough to me," Ash commented with a wicked smile. "They're still not in touch with their subconscious minds, yet. They say and do the damnedest things! Let me guess, she's still insisting that it was all a misunderstanding?"

* * *

"It was all a misunderstanding!" Rachel wailed. "And then I had to go and use the f-bomb, and...and..."

Evie was trying to look sympathetic, but Rachel could see that she was barely suppressing a grin. "And then...?"

"He_ blew_ _out my_ _candle!_"

* * *

Rachel shrieked with surprise as utter darkness enveloped her, and froze. The one room in the entire universe she would have taken another fucking demon mark to avoid right now, and she'd waltzed right in. Without permission. Gift-wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"Did I not predict," she heard Al purr, "that one night, _you_ would come to_ me_?"

"Al, wait. I can explain!" she cried, utterly mortified. _Oh my god, he can't see me, can he? Crap, of course he can, he's a fucking demon! _Hands shaking, she tried to relight the candle with her thoughts. But she couldn't focus, could barely remember the curse to do it, and after one attempt she knocked the blasted thing off the tray. She heard it hit the floor and roll off somewhere, and cursed again under her breath. "I got lost! I just wanted..." She strained her ears for anything, but she might have been alone for all she could tell. "Al...?"

"Mmm. I've waited years to hear you admit that you want me, my beautiful, wild itchy witch."

_Scent,_ she told herself. _He can't hide his scent, track him that way._ But everything in here smelled like him, so that was no help. Not to mention that his scent was currently fizzling straight into her primal brain and rekindling the fires of her imagination- not to mention her loins. The air was saturated with him, and it wasn't any help at all that she couldn't see his face, so his state of attire was also left to her to guess. _Crap. I'm in so much trouble. _

Her next thought was to get her back against a wall, but she was already disoriented. Backing up only brought her against the soft fabric of the bed, the nightstand at her hip. Desperate, she felt for the only other potential weapon she'd seen in here. Her fingers brushed the leather cover of the book, and she grabbed it, hefting its reassuring weight and preparing to clobber if necessary.

Al's low laughter reached her. "Oooh, I'm in trouble _now,_" he said mockingly.

"I warn you, Al...touch me and I'll...I'll..." Rachel swung around menacingly toward the sound of the voice.

"Itchy witch..." Al's voice was nowhere near where it had just been, and she spun again in the darkness, adrenaline sharp and heady. "It's times like this that I wonder _why_, exactly, I have been bothering to instruct you in demon magic for all these years."

* * *

"A _book_," Ash said, still laughing.

Al shook his head. "Seriously. I've been teaching her curses and ley line shit for over three years, and instead of trying to vaporize my blood or turn me to stone, she tries to nail me with a fucking _book._" He sniffed. "Good thing it was only a third edition, or I'd have been quite put out."

"Evie's not one for offensive magic, either," Ash sympathized. "I'd never have believed she could actually kill an elf if she hadn't come back covered in his blood and death. But go on, what did you do next?"

Al grinned, and it had oceans of wicked glee in it. "Why, I had to set the mood, of course."

* * *

"...and if that wasn't bad enough," Rachel said from behind her hands, "then he started goading me to fight back, and started in with the dire threats and predictions-"

"Let me guess. _Mwa-hahaha, I'll stalk you to the ends of the earth and you'll never escape, and I'll defile you and no other man will ever want you, blah-blah-blah_?"

Rachel opened her hands to stare at her in surprise. "Ash too...?"

Evie rolled her eyes. "It's their idea of sweet talk," she said. "Some guys say it with flowers. Demons say it with creepy stalker threats"

Rachel made a disgusted face. "Well, I sure thought he was serious at the time."

"Oh, he _was_," Evie agreed. "So what did you do?"

Rachel couldn't help a little giggle. "I called on my years of training in running down and arresting bad guys." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "_I threw the book at him!_"

* * *

Rachel made a dash for the door as the demon swore at her. Make fun of her book-wielding skills, would he? There was some horrible joke about _eating words,_ or _pens mightier than swords_ in here, but she didn't dare make it for fear of the return volley of horrid sexual _swords and sheaths _innuendos he was bound to unleash in return. Besides, that _thwap!_ had been satisfying enough without ruining it with lousy puns.

She sensed rather than saw him materialize in front of her, and flung a simple white spell for repelling an attacker at him. She knew he'd either get out of the way or dematerialize again, and continued charging toward where she thought the door would be. She slammed into a solid wall instead, catching herself with her palms just before she broke her nose against the hanging tapestry there.

She sent a side kick wildly in to the darkness, certain that he would be right behind her, and to her surprise, it connected. Al grunted another curse as she dove to the side, seeking the door she knew had to be around here somewhere. Blast this darkness! If only she could see! If only she knew more curses for light! If only she'd had the good sense to say in Ceri's room. Or _home_, for that matter. What had possessed her to just barge in here?

She struck out again into the blackness, still unable to find any way out. This time the demon caught her hand, and instantly her flight was over. Al slammed her against the stone, pinning her there as easily as if she were nothing but a struggling butterfly. "Al, wait," she said quickly, but his scent wrapped around her like a living thing, or perhaps it was his aura, holding her just as inescapably as his strong arms. She gasped as she felt his lips on her neck, brushing against the vampire scar there. Her protest became a wild moan instead, as exquisite sensations raced through her and around her.

His skin was cold, cold as stone...but perhaps that was only because she was on fire. He warmed against her quickly enough as he held her captive against him, as she gasped and writhed in reluctant bliss. "Al, please!" she cried, as she felt her knees turn to jelly at the power of her reaction. "God, it's too much, please! I didn't mean to come here!"

"_Two_ curses," he growled against her neck, before nipping her hard with blunt teeth. "Two curses and a _very _cold shower it took me to prevent myself from ravaging you right there in the workshop, and you expect me give a _damn_ about your reasons for being here now?" He thrust his hips against her, emphasizing the very real evidence that these measures were now rendered utterly useless.

"I'm serious, Al!" she gasped. "It was an accident, I didn't know this was your room! We made a deal- no sex!"

"A deal that _you _broke first," he reminded her. "And still, I was a perfect gentleman, if you recall. Yet somehow you found your way back to me." She shuddered as he drew a sensual tongue up her neck to her ear, and whispered, "I no longer have _any_ obligation to be kind."

"Damn it, Al, I just wanted a stupid shower! A _cold _shower! Do you really think I'd be dumb enough to...oh, hell, don't answer that," she growled as she felt his chest shudder with suppressed laughter.

"Do you really want to leave so desperately, Rachel?" She shivered again as he buried his nose in her curls, breathing deep and grumbling appreciatively. "As you like. You're free to go- but it will cost you a mark."

"What?" she protested, outraged. "That's crazy!"

"My beautiful itchy witch, I have been _more_ than fair. I let you go once after you gave yourself to me, even warned you not to follow me," he said reasonably, sliding his nose down her neck to savor the subtle scent of her skin there. "Accept the consequences or display my mark for all to see."

Oh, god, she had to escape, she thought, but quickly realized that wasn't at all what she was feeling. _I've got to force myself to _want _to escape,_ she amended, but this appeared to be more of a losing proposition with every additional instant she spent this close to him. And damn it, not another mark! It had taken threats and bribery to work one off, and she still, over four years later, wore the mark he'd given her the night they met. At this rate she'd just about_ have_ to live forever if she didn't want to die indebted to him.

She fumed silently, unwilling to give him the satisfaction, either way. It was even worse when she supposed that, all things considered, he was being quite reasonable, especially for a demon. _ No, not really...it's much crueler to make me choose, and he knows it. Blast him!_

It didn't help that she_ ached_ to give in. Every sense, save her sight, was alive with him- his touch, his aura, his magic, his scent, and the memory of the blazing heat of his kiss. She moaned as he played on her scar again, writhing against him involuntarily until she felt saturated with unquenched desire. Desire! For a demon! What was wrong with her?

"Why do you fight this?" he asked her, his low purring voice tickling her ear with warmth. "Tonight you felt the call of your heritage. You _know_ what you crave. _You_ gave me permission. _You _invaded my private sanctum. You're _mine_, now, my itchy witch." She shuddered against him again as his words burrowed their way into her psyche. "You've _always _been _mine._ Say it," he demanded in a low whisper, slowly, sensually pressing his hips against her until she whimpered. "Yield to me."

"No," she said stubbornly, though part of her brain was insisting that he was right, that it had always been only a matter of time, that she'd_ known_ what she was doing from the start, had known from the instant she'd entered this room where she was. She already felt herself melting into him, as his words had their effect on her. "Please, Al, I _can't_-"

"I've already warned you, there is no more mercy to be found here," he warned darkly, and the words made her quiver again, more desire than fear. "I'll have you at last, or I'll have another mark."

"Al-" she began, exasperated, but he kissed her. She didn't notice that he'd released one arm until she felt his hand trailing up her thigh. She moaned one last weak protest against the visceral, primal need growing in her, rising until it vanquished reason and good sense and ties of loyalty to anyone but herself. Then Al loosed the line within her, and sweet, heady fire raced in a torrent from his lips to his hand, wild and rich and impregnated with his essence, and the last thread of her resistance snapped.

She jolted into motion, wrapping her leg around his waist and returning his kiss with a passionate one of her own, moaning her pleasure against his lips and exploring his mouth with her tongue. She wanted to devour him, to delve inside him and_ know_ him. She was still angry about this seduction, and him and even moreso at herself, and it took the form of a return volley of ley line energy pushed from her _chi _to his, a less violent version of the punishment he'd once used on her.

He shuddered, a low purr of satisfaction rumbling from his chest even as the torrent of energy caught him off guard. She heard him chuckle with amusement before _pushing_ back. She stiffened at the sensation of the energy, rich with his arousal, flooding her _chi,_ crying out with pleasure, and Al used her distraction to rip the towel off of her body. It was still utterly dark, which only enhanced all of her other senses, and she shivered at the thought that now he could see all of her, yet she could see nothing of him.

He lifted her then, pulling her other leg around his waist and whisking her off into the blackness. She felt herself pressed against the softness of the sheets, themselves full of the scent of her demon and, she realized with both surprise and relief, _only_ her demon. If she'd caught the scent of any other female at this moment, _especially _Evie's, she _would_ have killed him, painfully, somehow. Instead she arched against him, tugging at whatever he was wearing- not his usual velvet coat or white shirt, but something much thinner and silkier. A robe, she thought, and the guess proved accurate enough for her questing fingers. A low moan of frustration and anticipation escaped her as she continued to kiss him hungrily. A jerk of the tie around his waist, and she felt his body bared to her.

"Oh god, Al," she moaned, desperate and unable to stop herself. She guided him to her entrance, lest he be tempted to make her wait any longer with needless foreplay. "Now, _please,"_ she begged, her voice catching as he pulled from her _chi_, continuing the exchange of energies. The combination of that, his caresses, his lips, and the gentle, teasing motion against her most intimate bits was too much to bear.

He paused, the moment ratcheting up her tension to a painful degree. "Mine," he groaned, taking another deep pull of her scent, now mingled with his. "Say it, Rachel," he whispered.

She wished she could see his face, picturing it slack with the desire that was so rampant in his voice. "Yours," she agreed, the admission sending another adrenaline-fueled jolt of lust through her. "I'm yours."

Then he thrust into her, physically and magically, and it was ecstasy so brilliant and clear that she nearly passed out. She clutched at him, nails digging into his skin, teeth gritted against the onslaught. Her cries of bliss filled the utter darkness around her. His answering moan of fulfillment struck a deep chord within her, a sound that spoke of both pain and pleasure. He bore down on her with punishing thrusts, which she enhanced by straining against him eagerly.

"_Mine,_" he grunted again against her throat, once again attacking the scar there to make her scream and melt further into him. She felt the energies roiling in his powerful _chi_, just before he poured them into her, intense and inescapable. She went rigid, unable even to scream, mouth open in a silent cry. She came so hard that she swore she could see stars.

He continued his rhythmic movements as she began to come down, drawing out her pleasure as long as possible before he, too, stiffened and shuddered around and within her. She fell limp under him, gasping for breath with her face pressed his neck, enfolded by his warmth and his scent. The edge had been taken off of her hunger, though. "Light," she murmured.

The low rumble of his chuckle reached her as he paused. "As you wish, my wild, wicked witch." She gasped as hundreds of little flames sprang up about them, and a larger fire lit itself on the hearth nearby.

Candles. Al's room had candles everywhere, and small mirrored surfaces behind each one. The effect was beautiful, tranquil, almost meditative. _His inner sanctum, _she thought. Not the place he'd drag an unwilling victim for torture, but a deeply private place, serene. There were none of the arcane globes here, only the golden glow of simple, ageless firelight.

She had little time to register much else about the room, because Al had captured her lips before she could speak and was now kissing her with such gentle ferocity that she moaned and melted again. Free to explore him, she slid languid hands over his smooth, perfect skin. Having already crossed- no, _pole-vaulted _over- the point of no return, she gave herself to the moment, surrendering completely to him.

Her courage failed her momentarily as he pulled back to look at her, and she closed her eyes for fear of seeing mockery or triumph on his face. She sighed, a sigh that held both anticipation and a little sadness. Her life would never be the same now.

"Rachel," he urged, his voice low and insistent. "Look at me."

Unable to resist, she did. Instead of the smugness she feared and expected, his face was serious, his red eyes intense. He held her gaze as he slipped into her again, letting her see his pleasure, and she gasped again at the sweet sensation of his long, hard length touching her so deeply inside. She gazed, rapt, at his familiar face with such an unfamiliar, unguarded expression of desire. Her hand tentatively reached up to caress his strong jaw, working her fingers into his soft, long brown hair. He closed his eyes for a moment at the caress, taking a deep shuddering breath, releasing it in a sigh that seemed to shed the last of his arrogant, overbearing persona.

"Algaliarept," she whispered.

His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. "Jariathjackjunisjumoke," he replied quietly, and the sound of her demon summoning name awoke the longing within her once more.

She would never in a million years have predicted what an attentive and gentle lover her demon could be when he put his mind to it. He was tireless, she found, and insatiable, and it was as if he somehow knew her body more intimately than she did herself. His skilled fingers and tongue brought her to climax again and again before he finally allowed himself the pleasure of spilling his seed deep within her once more. They writhed about, intertwined, exploring, tasting, giving and receiving while the myriad pinpoints of golden light hovered around them like so many stars. Their passion built and was sated over and over, while their magic and their auras danced and wrapped around them in ways she couldn't have imagined.

Pierce had said once that she was a quick study, and she was. Al was delighted with her prowess and more than happy to continue her education in the realm of communing with lines. They indulged in another playful power pull, which escalated quickly into the most wild, erotic burst of pleasure yet, leaving them both hoarse and spent. She felt their energies rippling out across the lines, and knew that others would be feeling their communion if they happened to be tuned into a line. Far from being mortifying, she found the idea intensely arousing.

It was hours before she finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion, still wrapped in his possessive embrace. _Mine_, she thought sleepily, and somehow the thought didn't seem at all out of character.

* * *

"I can't even say that _he_ seduced _me_," she said quietly. Rachel turned eyes heavy with interrupted sleep and morning-after regrets on her confidante, only to find that Evie's steady gaze was not judgmental or pitying, but simply understanding. "I practically jumped him first. And I did it again as soon as I woke up. I couldn't stop myself. I know he didn't curse me. It was all my idea. I am so fucked up I don't even know where to start."

"Me too," Evie said simply. "You and Pierce wondered how I could possibly have done it willingly with Ash, the night he brought me here. Well...? Now you know."

"It's like there's this weird beast inside me that..."

"I call mine _Therese,_" Evie said. "And if you think she's bad now, just wait until Al breaks out the claws and fangs."

Rachel gave Evie a _hahaha _look, then realized the woman was serious. "Oh, hell." The confession and Evie's response had taken at least some of the burden off her chest. Still, she sighed. "I just don't know what to do now. It's all changed. How can I even face Ivy and Jenks? They've put up with so much shit from me over the years, what with the shunning...and Al...and the death threats...and the being a demon thing, and...and...Pierce..."

Evie couldn't help her snort of laughter. "They thought _Pierce_ was worse than Al?"

Rachel blinked. "Well, yeah. They hated him worse than Nick for awhile, and that's saying something."

"Nick?"

"Nick Sparagamos. Long story. Now there's someone I hope I never see again." Distracted, Rachel took a sip of her cold, neglected coffee and promptly gagged. Wiping her face on a napkin, she saw Evie's arrested expression. "Why? Do you know him?"

* * *

Ash gave Al a high-five, demon style. Ley line imbalance crackled briefly between their palms like a miniature lightning bolt. Their exciting evening had left both of them charged up enough to level a small city. It was purely a macho thing- the trick was not to wince, and to resist healing your hand until the other guy wasn't looking.

(As demons were wimps, this usually took about thirty seconds.)

"I still can't believe you had the self control to allow your familiar access to her for all those years," Ash said incredulously. "I couldn't have done it. I honestly thought you had no intentions toward the witch beyond the obvious."

"She's the most stubborn, high-strung bitch I've ever tried to seduce. I wanted to do my research before making the attempt, or I'd have lost everything. " Al's grin was evil indeed. "I wonder if Pierce suspected I was in his head each and every time? She'll bloody kill him herself if she ever finds out, so I'll have to send him off. Rachel has an irritating reluctance to kill and I worry it would damage her too much to murder a former lover. He's served his purpose now, anyway. I wonder what I can get for him."

"Give him to Newt," Ash suggested. "She still needs a familiar and he's skilled enough to distract her for a week or two. Perhaps she'll lay off our females in the meantime."

Al considered this satisfying suggestion, liking it quite a bit. "Perhaps I should really shock her and let him go. Out of my undying devotion to her. Wouldn't that throw her for a loop?" he mused, and they both snickered at the sentiment. "Nah, she'd never buy it. I wonder how long it will take her to accept me completely?"

"It's a promising start," Ash said. "But I still beat you to the _real _thing. You owe me, sucker- I'm keeping my most recent acquisition."

Al's smug expression soured. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, having hoped Ash would forget about that double-or-nothing bet they'd made the previous day. He thought he'd known Evie fairly well, and she didn't seem the type to allow it. Whereas Rachel, he knew from his time in Pierce's head, was wicked and wild and enjoyed a bit of roughness now and then. He'd been certain he could get his claws into Rachel first. Damn it! Unless he caught someone new, it looked like he'd need to keep Pierce around after all.

Another thought struck Al, and he looked even grumpier. "It's bad enough losing, but _now_? After you got the entire Ever After turned on last night? Just imagine all the poor saps out there who will be in need of replacement familiars this morning. No doubt about it, the next few years are going to be a fucking goldmine for us."

"Assuming we even have the time," Ash pointed out.

"Heh, you're right. I'd forgotten how much work it is to keep a female."


	61. The Great Escape

_Finally...meet Devi! (And holy shit, Devi is going to murder me. Well, he did say he wanted to get laid. Assuming he's telling the truth, anyway, which is always doubtful. I was just feeling so silly and naughty- not to mention sleep-deprived- when I wrote this cracktastic chapter, I couldn't help but get outrageous...and it got even moreso after I caught up on sleep. I had no idea Devi was such a goofball.) _

_My Christmas gift to you all (and Devi)!__ There may or may not be another update before New Year's Eve...if not, happy holidays! And as always, the best gift you can give to a writer is feedback, even if it's just a little PM saying "I like this!" Thanks for reading!  
_

**In Which More Than Simple Plot Bunnies Make Their Escape From Captivity**

"Nick Sparagmos? Thin geeky guy with dark hair, looks anorexic and has scars all over?" I asked curiously. Rachel and I had been chatting for a long time at that point, half expecting that Ash or Al would show up to demand to know what was taking so long. But apparently they both had an ounce of sense and were using it, because they'd let us bitch about them for nearly two hours.

Before Rachel could do anything other than nod and look alarmed, we were interrupted by the arrival of another demon. She tugged out the third chair and climbed up as Rachel and I stared at her in bemused astonishment. I squashed the first two impulses I had (first, to coo and _awww_ at her, and second, to ask her where her mama was) and reminded myself that little girls didn't wander around demon malls, and anyway little girls generally didn't have red, goat-slitted eyes, either. Which meant that either Newt was putting a nice face on for a change, or this was actually a many thousand-year-old demon dude in drag. I was betting on the latter.

"Buy me an ice cream?" she said. The bow in her hair twinkled with glitter.

"No. But please, join us," Rachel said wryly, eying her suspiciously.

"And you can drop the cute and innocent act," I added. "Who are you?"

"Vasanni," she said, fluffing her ballerina skirt. She looked no more than six years old, and she had dimples. Dimples! Now _that _was hitting below the belt.

"Hello, Devi," I said, trying not to laugh. "That's a new look for you, isn't it?"

Devi, or Devasanniyakseya, usually appeared as either a nondescript man in a business suit, or an incredibly gorgeous ebony-skinned djinn straight out of some chick's Arabian Nights fantasy, glowing fiery eyes, scary black scimitar and all. Hell, he's the inspiration for half the stories about djinn in magic lamps. He was one of Newt's bottled demons for awhile, until he worked out his sentence and came back home. He'd actually had quite a lot of fun granting dubious wishes and causing a shitload of trouble. You know the story where the djinn thanks the fisherman for freeing him by asking him how he wants to die? That's Devi for you.

He (He? She? I decided to just think of Devi as a she for now, it was much easier on my brain) blinked and looked disappointed. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Oh, please. _Vasanni?_ That's about as creative as all those fictional versions of Dracula, never expecting to be recognized if they cleverly name themselves _Alucard_." Actually, it had been a guess, but occasionally I got lucky. "Rachel, have you met Devi?"

"Once. I think? Al's taken me to so many parties they all kinda blurred together. That's not what you normally look like, right?"

"No, I'm experimenting with a new shape, what do you think?" she asked. She stood on her chair and did a perfect little pirouette. Flecks of glitter drifted from her skirt like pixie dust.

"It's, uh, pretty sparkly," Rachel said.

"It's _nauseating_," I said, recalling a particularly viscous night involving Devi and a really stupid summoner. "Is there a reason you wanted to talk to us, Devi, or are you just being a nuisance?" I asked.

"After last night, I don't want to give _anyone_ the wrong idea by approaching you as a _male_," she said demurely, and the knowing glint in her eye looked creepily out of place on her little face.

"Oh, _god_," Rachel sighed under her breath. I tried to stay stoic, but that damned blush gave me away.

"Oh, yes, silly, _everyone_ knows what you two girls were doing last night. We _all _got a _taste_." She grinned cheekily and kicked her little legs against the table leg in a really annoying way. "Anyway, to business: I have an issue I've been _dying_ to discuss with Ash, and it's just so difficult to get his attention these days. I fear he's been ignoring my calls, and you're his excuse."

I couldn't help but grin a little. "So?"

"_So_, Ash has caught himself someone that I have a legal claim on. Since you own him, I want you to turn him over."

"Ash? Not a chance."

"No, his new toy." Rachel and I exchanged a look that said the same thing- chatting with a cherubic-looking little girl about demon slavery was really hitting us hard in the cognitive dissonance department. "Surely you've noticed the human has not one, but two of my marks on him?" Devi added.

I shrugged. "I only got a brief glimpse of the guy. You'll have to take it up with Ash. I refuse to deal with his_ business ventures_."

"But I just explained, sweetie, it_ is _your business. Every familiar he catches who comes to market will be sold in _your_ name, after all."

I shot to my feet. "WHAT?" I wanted to throw up. This was so not happening. "Then he's going to knock it off right the fuck now and send his human back to the wild! You can fucking well catch him yourself!" _Oh, God, listen to me... "His human?" I sound like a fucking demon already._

The little girl didn't bat an eye as I swore at her. "Sit down, you're making a scene. That's not possible now, anyway. I'm certain the human already knows how to spindle."

"Not a problem, I know a curse for that-"

"This human you're talking about," Rachel said faintly. "It's Nick, isn't it?"

I nodded, forcing myself to sit down calmly again. "Ash nabbed him about a week ago."

Rachel buried her head in her hands. "Oh, Nick, you stupid, arrogant idiot," she murmured. "I want to say it serves you right, but _nobody_ deserves to be a demon's familiar."

"Oh, _he _does," Devi assured her, and when we looked at her, she'd switched to Rachel's shape. "Amazing what he did for information. Mmm. He's a fantastic kisser, and an even better lay. You know what they say about human males, after all."

Rachel just stared at herself blankly, her face utterly closing down. "Answers _that_ question," she said quietly. "Wow. _ Jesus,_ Nick."

I desperately wanted to hear the story behind that, but now wasn't the time. "Devi, knock it off. What exactly do you want _me_ to do about it?"

"Give me the human, _duh,_" she said, her form blurring back to her pint-size princess shape again.

"Well, I happen to know that Ash will contest the claim- he's got two marks on the guy himself."

Rachel choked. "Seriously? Nick already had two marks from _Al _last time I saw him!"

We stared at her. "You mean this guy has not just _three_, but _SIX_ fucking demon marks on him?" I asked, incredulous.

Even Devi looked shocked. "Now there's something I've never heard of before. Talk about an arrogant sonofabitch, eh?"

I bit my tongue before I could threaten to wash her mouth out with soap. "Tell me about it," Rachel said grumpily, and her fingers rubbed at Al's mark on her wrist. "_I_ still owe Al a favor because of him."

"How did he ever think he was going to pay them all off?" I asked.

Rachel snorted. "You don't know Nick like I do. I'm sure he had it all planned out. Hell, he played Trent and I off each other AND the Coven and got away with it. Why not play demons off against each other for fun and profit?"

_Wow _was right. The human had balls of solid steel, I had to admit. And Ash had been finding it difficult to break him, too. Apparently the human was resilient, very talented at black magic, and highly resistant to standard methods of breaking in a familiar. I was a little intrigued, under all the sick feelings from just contemplating what Ash's standard methods might consist of.

Devi folded her tiny arms and pouted. "Well, _shit_. This complicates things somewhat, I have to say. Still, I love a good fight. See you in court?"

"Now wait a minute," I said. "How in the world does something like this normally get resolved?"

Devi shrugged. "That's what the court's for, sweetie."

Rachel looked disgusted. "There's always the Solomon solution," she muttered, and we looked at her blankly. "You know, just cut him into three equal bits with a scimitar. I could borrow Ivy's, she wouldn't mind. Hell, she'd help."

Devi laughed in appreciation. "Newt has been known to take that route in the past, if you catch her on a bad day. Not quite so useful as an _intact _human, sadly, but if we go that route, I want his head. Lots of good stuff in there, if you can maintain the brain for awhile. I'd want the lungs, too, of course."

Rachel mumbled something that might have been a wish for another part of Nick's anatomy and a pickle jar, but I pretended I didn't hear. "Look," I said, feeling that this conversation was quickly swerving into the _way-too-demonic _direction. Bloodthirsty monsters I could handle, but little girls discussing necromantic head-reanimation was more than my nerves could take easily- which was no doubt what Devi intended. "I'll talk to Ash. See what he wants to do."

"And I'll mention it to Al, too. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it," Rachel added, unsmiling. "Though come to think of it, he probably already knows. He was _so _pissed off that Ash won that second bet, and now I know why. Did he ever tell you what that second bet was, Evie?"

"Ash got to Evie first before Al got to you." Devi mimed claws. "Rawr."

"Oh." Rachel flushed, then did a doubletake. "And how the hell do_ you_ know that?"

Devi looked smug. "Bets have to be registered if you want to enforce them," she said. "I have a deal going with The Beez. If it involves you, he lets me know."

She was looking at me, and I stared back, uncertain if I was amused or not. "Why?" I didn't have to ask who the Beez was. It was Beelzebub, Devi's bookie, and the one who'd sent me several invitations to various sordid sporting events and that infamous "retirement party."

She grinned, and I recognized that grin as pure Devi- feral and full of teeth. She didn't have to answer. I tried not to shudder. I knew all the demons I worked with had all wanted to nab me. It was simply unsettling to know that the interest extended beyond simply plotting against me while they were in my circle in reality. I'd always figured they had better things to do with their time once they got back home. I was rapidly coming to realize that no, actually, they didn't. Especially if "procurement" was their fucking _job. _

"And what was the first bet?" Rachel asked,

"That I'd escape from the Coven without your help," I said.

"_Oooh_, and how did you do it?" Devi asked, wriggling all over with interest. "What's the latest gossip on the Other Side, eh?"

"Devi," I said, finally letting her get to me. "Could you at least act like yourself? This is too fucking weird even for you."

Devi bit her lips in a cute little pout. "Evie, sweetheart, just because _you've_ never seen my feminine side doesn't mean I don't _have_ one," she said. "We all do. Has Ash shown you his?"

"Uh," I said, the thought of Ash as a little girl making my brain temporarily seize up.

"Have I mentioned what a good lay he is, too?" she asked, tipping her little head to the side just like Shirley Temple might have done, were Shirley Temple discussing dolls instead of demon slash. "I'm sure Al thinks so as well."

"_Okay!_" I said brightly, in a _I've just hit my weirdness quotient for the day_ voice, and turned to Rachel. "Time to be going?"

Rachel was very stoically not reacting, and in fact I think her tight lips were a sign of her trying very hard not to burst out laughing. "And what do you think of _Al_?" she asked curiously, playing along.

"He's an even better Rachel than _I_ am," Devi said, and Rachel went brick red. "But _I'm_ the best _Evie_," he added. "Everyone says so, even Ash."

"HA! Now I know you're just messing with me," I insisted, because the alternative was mortifying. "Nobody out-Evies _me_, damn it." I thought a moment, considering Ash's stock of shifting curses. "Except maybe Ash himself," I added with a noise that was supposed to be a casual, unbothered laugh, but sounded a lot more like a choke.

Devi held up her hands. "You caught me- Ash hasn't been to see _me_ since _you_ got here."

"So you said," I replied, trying and failing to block the mental images that were kicking around in my head now. _Demons lie a lot,_ I reassured myself, trying like mad to forget that Ash had implied pretty much the same thing earlier that morning.

"You should have heard the screams last night. Familiars are such worthless, fragile little things when it comes to fulfilling such basic, _animal _needs," Devi sighed. "It's so _boring_ here. You'll change that, won't you? You'll come play with the rest of us eventually?"

"At this rate? I'm reconsidering the joys of celibacy," Rachel replied, and I nodded empathetically in agreement. "I'll be sure to let Al know he has _you_ to thank for it."

Devi giggled, then looked over Rachel's shoulder. "Speak of the devil," she said, and we turned to see Al storming over.

He hesitated when he realized we weren't alone, but strode over anyway, grabbing Rachel's arm and hissing in her ear, "_Where is he?_"

"Ow! Who?" she asked, jerking her arm away.

"_Pierce!_"

"Oh, dear, Al...have you misplaced your familiar _again_?" asked Devi innocently.

_All right, Evie...what have you done with him?_ I jumped as Ash's voice suddenly sounded right in my head.

_Huh? Who?_ I asked, turning to see Ash standing right behind me. What the hell? Now what was_ I_ supposed to have done?

_The human_, he replied, looking disgruntled. _The human is not where I left him, love, and-_

_Excuse _me_, Mr. Suspicious, but I've been either with you or with Rachel for the last twelve hours. I have no idea where your guy is._

Rachel's yelling distracted us. "Look! I haven't seen him since last night, after we kissed and I..."

Al stared at her. "You _told _him?" he asked incredulously.

"_Yes_, I told him! He's my freaking boyfriend, isn't he?" Rachel tossed her hair defiantly. "Well, _was_," she admitted.

Al rolled his eyes, looking petulant. "And here I was _so_ looking forward to rubbing his nose in it myself. You and your honorable streak."

Rachel looked torn halfway between a scowl and an all-out tantrum. Devi, meanwhile, was sitting on the table now, swinging her heels and watching the show with gleeful amusement. "She got rejected last night and didn't kill anyone? Impressive."

Al harrumphed. "I did warn her not to," he said, as if he had any control over what Rachel did. Rachel turned an even more impressive shade of red, clenched her fists, and visibly bit her lip, clearly suppressing a homicidal urge. "Perhaps that's why he's hiding. Still, he shouldn't be able to hide from _me..._"

I got a little tingle of surprise from Ash's head before he closed our connection, and a very distinct sense of _uh-oh._

I looked at Ash suspiciously, but there was a pop, and another demon appeared, clad in a robe and looking very disheveled. He looked around and spied our gathering. "Newt," Dali said without preamble, looking furious.

All three of the demons groaned. "She slipped that fool's watch? _Again?_" Al asked.

"Another red alert," Devi drawled, as if this were a regular occurrence. Heck, maybe it was. "We've got to get that woman another familiar, stat."

"Which is why I'm sending our three best trackers out to look for her," Dali said with an evil grin. "Unless any of you want to volunteer for the position?"

"Here we go _again_," Ash said, rolling his eyes as Al huffed with impatience.

"Fine, but this time_ you're_ bringing her back when I find her, old man. I've got my own issues to deal with," said Al irritably. "Rachel, you're coming with me."

Rachel took a step back. "_What? _ Forget it, Al, this isn't my school day anymore and there's no way on god's green earth I will help you track down _Newt_! Take me home!"

"No time. There's still much we must discuss. If you don't wish to accompany me, then by all means stay here."

"You're just going to leave me here?" she asked, furious.

"No, I'm leaving you with Evie. _ I_ didn't bring you here, if you recall. Have Pierce take you home- if you can find him. Ta!" Al vanished, leaving Rachel to fume impotently.

"Ash," I began, but he cut me off.

"No. Wait for me at home." Ash vanished, too.

Dali glared at Devi, who let out a dramatic sigh worthy of a sixteen year old being told to clean her room, and poofed as well.

Dali didn't even spare us a glance before he also disappeared, leaving the two of us alone in the demon mall.

"Well...?" I asked Rachel. "We seem to have been abandoned. Your place or mine?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed with fury. "_Neither_," she said, and her lips slowly curved into a very, _very_ mischievous grin. "I've got an even _better_ idea. C'mon."

Bemused, I followed her over to the coffee shop we'd purchased our drinks from, a nondescript place called "The Coffee Vault." "More coffee?" I asked unenthusiastically. "I think I might rather die."

"Not _coffee,_" she said with a wicked, gleeful smile. "Evie, I have got a trick up my sleeve that you are just going to _love_."

* * *

_**Author's note: **_

_I've included the story referenced in this chapter, near as I remember it (there's probably several versions out there). I'm including it mostly because Devi finds it embarrassing. _

**The Fisherman and the Djinn**

A fisherman fishes out a bottle sealed with the Seal of Solomon, and pops it open.

Out comes a mighty djinn. "You have set me free, fisherman!" booms the djinn.

"Woah," says the fisherman.

"You know, after that jerk Solomon bottled me, I was pretty upset," the djinn says to the cowering fisherman. "I spent the first few centuries thinking that I'd reward the one who freed me with riches and fame."

"Oh?" says the fisherman.

"Then a few more centuries passed, and I just got more and more bored, and decided that I'd visit the one who freed me with horrible torments and a cruel, pointless death."

"Uh oh," says the fisherman.

"But a few more centuries, and I've mellowed out a bit. Tell you what. I'll let _you_ choose how you want to die."

"Um," says the fisherman. "Any chance of mercy, here?"

"No."

"None at all?"

"Nope. So what'll it be? Falling? Poison? Autoerotic asphyxiation?"

"How do I know you're really a djinn?" asks the fisherman.

The djinn blinks. "Huh? Dude, you just _saw _me come out of that bottle!"

"Pft. You? Look at you, you're huge! You'd never fit in that bottle. I don't believe you."

"What are you, blind and stupid?"

"Sorry, I'm not a complete idiot, there's no way an all-powerful djinn could ever have fit into a wee little bottle like this one."

"I tell you, I most certainly did! Let me prove it, you irritating mortal!" So the djinn squeezes himself back into the bottle just to show he can, in fact, fit in there.

And the fisherman corks the bottle again, replacing the seal. "Sucker," he says.

In some versions he throws the bottle back into the sea. In others the djinn talks him into letting him out again.


	62. Mistaken Identities

_ARRGH. Major writer's block. I'll just say it right here: Trent Kalamack baffles the hell out of me. I'd totally be writing Trent/Rachel stuff, but I seriously cannot get a handle on the guy. (Same goes for Ivy, really...) So this next section has been really difficult to move forward. It still just doesn't feel like it's working! Oh, well. I'm sick of fiddling with it. Perhaps I'll have a better insight into him after Pale Demon comes out. Until then…here's my best interpretation of the mysterious dude.  
_

**In Which Lines Are Crossed**

"How the hell did you learn you could do that?" I asked, astounded, as we simply walked right out of the Ever After through a ley line.

Rachel was grinning fit to bust. "Trent. Sort of. Al has no clue I know about it yet. The real trick is finding a ley line in the Ever After that's not on the surface, and has a real world counterpart. I mean, I guess you _could_ go to the surface and wander around, but it's pretty freaking awful up there. This line's the only one I know of this deep that doesn't drop you into a mountain or something."

I peered around at the generic office-building feel of the place we'd materialized in. "And where are we?"

"Cincinnati," she said. I shook my head, unable to get used to the fact that demon society was scattered all over the globe, underground, and connected by ley lines rather than actual distance. Hell, Ash's massive set of rooms probably existed on several continents, but each was only a simple line jump from the others thanks to the preprogrammed magical "doorways" in each. So I'd started in Colorado a little over a day ago, walked the equivalent of maybe a mile or two over the intervening hours, and here I was halfway across the country.

"Trent's compound," she added, and I stopped in my tracks, staring at her. "Behold his super-duper-top-secret vault." She pointed to a blank wall in a recess behind us.

"We're _where_?" I asked, aghast. "Rachel...you told me Trent's a murdering brimstone-dealing drug lord who dabbles in illegal genetic engineering, and we've just shown up in his _basement?_ Right outside his _vault_?"

Rachel's grin reminded me of Al's when when he was in a good mood. "Did I mention I love pissing him off?" She tossed her hair and waved to something on the ceiling- a security camera, no doubt. "He'll be plenty peeved, but we could have shown up_ inside_ the vault instead, and he knows it."

"How do you know...?" I trailed off. "Oh. You stole that statue."

Rachel blushed. "Yup. And gave it back."

_Naked. In front of the whole city. During his campaign speech. How could anyone forget that? _I looked at her keenly. "Was it really a double-blind test of his security system?"

"Pfft!" She made a dismissive gesture. "Long story short: my ex-boyfriend sold me out to the Coven, and I thought it was Trent. The Coven was trying to kill me, Trent was pissy about being my familiar and trying to buy me. So I cooked up the theft to get Trent off my back, and to cause a media sensation so the Coven couldn't bury me. The cover story makes me look like an idiot, but hey, it worked!"

"This boyfriend...?"

"Nick." She hit that _K_ with a vehement thwack. "Little rat." Face hard, she stopped talking- which was just as well, because it was at that moment that we were surrounded by a dozen security guards with guns drawn. I stepped back and threw up a circle without thinking, but Rachel just grinned at the dark-haired man at the head of the group. "Hey, Quen! How's it hanging? How's Ceri and the munchkin?"

Quen folded his arms and gave her a look that managed to combine anger, exasperation, and amusement all at once. "I don't suppose that you could simply _call_ first, if you're planning on dropping by?"

"You can drop the circle," Rachel said, nudging me. "Quen's cool. And where's the fun in that?" she asked Quen, "You know one of my favorite pastimes is to keep Trent's life interesting!"

"Quen may be cool, but there's still a dozen men aiming guns at me," I replied quietly, swallowing. Crap, I didn't want trouble. I should have stayed behind. Rachel might be best buddies with the mafia king of Cincinnati, but I wasn't!

I sighed while Rachel argued with the older man, and a dozen guns remained trained on my head. I would have been happy to leave, but like hell I was going to drop this circle any time soon! Quen looked relaxed, but I could tell that all of his attention was fixed on me as he basically told Rachel to take me back before Trent showed up.

Soon afterward, another man arrived, this one a slender, perfectly dressed fellow who looked no older than Rachel. From the posture of everyone there, I could tell this man had to be Trent. I could tell at a glance that he was an elf. It was obvious, once you knew what to look for. I bit my lip, wondering just how much trouble I was in. Did elves have some sort of network? Did they know about Shane? Did they know about me?

Rachel waved cheerfully, as if he'd joined us for a picnic and we weren't surrounded by armed guards, stuck in a circle that was demon-smut black thanks to me sharing an aura with Ash. "Hi, Trent!"

Trent looked completely unruffled by a pair of scruffy women appearing right outside his super-secret vault. "Rachel," he said. I found myself liking his voice, a lot, and wondered if there was some kind of magic in elf voices that lulled one into a false sense of security. Shane had certainly been able to do it, and I could sense the same power in this man's voice. I wondered if plugging my ears would help at all...? "What an unexpected...pleasure. May I ask what you think you're doing, invading my home in this manner? _Again_?"

Rachel shrugged. "Escaping," she said. "The only way I know how. Al still hasn't taught me how to jump the lines for real, yet. And I wanted to visit Ceri! I _am_ Rowan's godmother, after all."

Quen suppressed a smile as Trent ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "You have a habit of picking the worst time imaginable, don't you? If anyone learns that you were here-"

"Aw, come on, Trent!" Rachel said cajolingly. "An hour, and then we'll be out of your hair!"

Trent folded his arms. "Absolutely not! And who is this, anyway?" he asked, turning his amazingly green eyes on me. There was a flash of something in my gut- recognition, maybe?- that made me tense slightly. He gave me a curious once-over, taking in my odd robes, scarred face, and blackened aura. The reek of burnt amber was strong enough that even the human security guards were wincing, and I could tell Trent was wondering what I was- human? Witch?

"Dr. Johnson," I replied hesitantly, slipping back into my former identity out of self-preservation. "Formerly of the University of Florida,' I added, because that much was true and who knew what kind of truth amulets or lie detectors Trent's Men in Black had on them. "Really, I don't want any trouble." I looked at the guns nervously. Demon or not, I wasn't invulnerable to lead, or anything else. I didn't have the usual stock of demonic healing curses inside of me, either. Ash might sense my distress through the familiar bond and summon me out of there, but then, he might also be very distracted at the moment. Tracking down Newt would hardly be a picnic.

Quen whispered something into a mouthpiece at his neck, probably a request for background on me. I sighed inwardly. It wasn't like it would be hard to connect the dots. Rachel huffed. "C'mon, Trent, don't be an ass. We didn't come here for you, we came to see-"

Trent's unfocused gaze was examining my aura, and my gut tightened. "Yes, I'm a familiar," I said, trying to forestall any other conclusion. "I know it's only a temporary reprieve-"

"Only two species can cross the lines that way," Quen said suddenly, narrowed gaze fixed on me. "Which one are you?"

Rachel winced, only now realizing that perhaps this had been a really, _really _bad idea. It wasn't like her to make careless and impulsive decisions like this, I thought, and realized that it really wasn't like me to just go along with people so trustingly, either. Lingering effects of our unusual encounters the previous evening? "Shit. It's not what it looks like, Trent!" she insisted, but Trent was already wide-eyed with realization.

"Doctor Eve Johnson, alias Yvette Sinclaire, shunned witch, wanted by the I.S. for questioning in the death of a nurse in Colorado," Quen reported after another moment, having paused to listen to a silent message through his earpiece. "Also wanted in connection with—"

"You!" Trent accused, and even through the reek of burnt amber, I caught the scent of cinnamon and leaves on the air. "Rachel, how dare you bring _this woman_ into _my home_? Do you know what she's done?"

"I don't suppose you'll believe it was self-defense," I muttered. It wasn't a question, nor was it in any way hopeful.

"Hey! That freaking elf attacked her first!" Rachel said simultaneously, but Trent was already beyond hearing. His fingers were moving in a far-too-familiar fashion, and his voice rose in a strange chant that was remarkably compelling.

_Surrender_, it sang to me. It wasn't words, simply a growing desire to relax and drop my defenses. Like hell!

"_Sa'han_!" Quen shouted sharply in warning and reproach. It was the last thing I heard before I plugged my ears with my fingers, trying to block out the influence. The security guards were looking at each other in confusion, the humans easily falling prey to the spell being woven. One by one their weapons dropped and they fell to their knees, obeying the command that wasn't even directed at them. Quen looked them over with evident irritation, then grabbed Trent's arm and pulled him back, mouthing something incomprehensible.

Rachel was staring at Trent, mouth open in astonishment. Her lips moved in an obvious, "What the hell…?"

I felt the panic rising in me as tendrils of sound still managed to work their way past my fingers and into my skull. If this man caught me, I was dead. If I unleashed Therese, I was dead. If I passed out, my circle would fall and I'd be dead. I wondered if I could make it back to the ley line that was only a few hallways away, and whether I could cross it again before being mowed down in a hail of bullets.

My vision began to blur and my chest began to tighten and heave with the familiar symptoms of a panic attack. _Oh, hell, not now!_ I kicked Rachel hard in the shin to get her attention, for she appeared to be slipping into the same trance as the guards. Oddly, Quen was unaffected- perhaps he was an elf as well? Rachel shook herself free and glared at me, then, with a look of comprehension, she followed my example. I saw her yelling something furious at Trent before I had to close my eyes and focus on not falling apart. To try my usual calming strategies would be useless- it would only hinder my ability to fight off Trent's influence. To let the panic run rampant was just as intolerable, and would probably leave me just as vulnerable. In an agony of indecision I did nothing to stop the rising terror, which was becoming inextricably linked to the scent of elven magic.

Oh, god, I was dead. I struggled to breathe, falling to my knees and feeling Rachel's arm around me. I tried to shake her off, realizing that an arm around me meant she was still able to hear Trent's beautiful, terrifying voice. Then something even more terrifying happened- my connection to the line snapped abruptly. Therese suddenly struggled for dominance, reaching for the line behind us- and found to our shock that the line was missing.

_Missing?_ How the hell could the line be _missing_? Ley lines didn't fucking _move_!

I didn't have more than a small amount of power spindled, and it was suddenly not enough to sustain a circle. My only protection vanished with an anticlimactic fizzle. Rachel jumped into motion as the circle dissolved, shouting something no doubt obscene at Trent, to be intercepted by a stone-faced Quen and rapidly dissuaded of whatever violent thoughts she'd intended. I collapsed where I was, black spots dancing before my eyes. Though Trent had skipped back and ceased his weaving, his spell still lingered around us like tendrils of dense, tangled spiderwebs- but webs made of steel instead of silk.

"You bastard!" she shrieked, incandescent with fury. "She didn't fucking do anything to you! She didn't even fight back!"

This was _mortifying_. Therese clawed painfully within me, desperate to be released and to wreak havoc on everyone there, but I held her back. No. No more violence. I wouldn't be responsible for any more deaths. Besides, there wasn't much I could do until the attack subsided. Ash was right, I had to get this under control- assuming I survived to learn how.

"She's a demon!" Trent said, panting. The man was furious. Or perhaps it wasn't fury. With a start, I realized that the man was terrified. Of me? The irony was pretty heavy, I thought, as the safeties of a dozen reclaimed and re-aimed pistols were released with a series of loud clicks. I just stared at the elf, at the guards, at Quen- currently holding Rachel firmly but not painfully so. "And you're a traitor! I can't believe you, Rachel! You would allow her into my home, after—"

"What's the matter with her?" Quen interrupted quietly.

"She's got fucking PTSD from dealing with psychotic demons, that's what!" Rachel snapped. "And now, thanks to you two, she's having a panic attack! Back off!"

"I'll go back," I gasped, through the tightness that still clamped my chest. "Where's…where's the line?"

Trent and Quen looked at each other in consternation, probably having difficulty with the fact that their horribly dangerous demon was preparing to pass out pitifully on the floor.

Rachel was still hopping mad. "After all the shit I went through to get your familiar mark off of you? After everything I've done for you? You really think I'd bring someone dangerous to your place? She rescued your kid's _nanny_, Quen! Solange will be pissed when she hears about this!"

Trent seemed to shift gears, perhaps reconsidering Rachel's guilt in light of her obvious outrage. "Rachel, do me a favor and shut up," Trent said angrily, folding his arms. "You have no idea what this woman has done in the past twenty four hours."

Both of us stared at him in surprise.

"Umm…on the contrary," Rachel muttered, and a blush began on her face and spread to mine, "I do."

"Last _night?_ Really?" I laughed humorlessly. "Yes, I'd like to know, too. I'd love to hear what I was supposedly doing while I was being clawed, bitten, and screwed unconscious by my demon in the Ever After last night," I said angrily, not embarrassed to imply that it hadn't been consensual. "Did I mention I'm a fucking _familiar_?"

Trent only looked mildly shocked, but Quen turned sickly pale. Oh, right. Ceri had probably filled him in on the exciting life of a demon's familiar. As soon as the word "familiar" left my lips, however, I recalled that I had a familiar, too. I didn't need access to a line as long as Ash was by one. _Duh!_ The realization eased the racing of my heart a little, eased the feeling of smothering and impending doom. I could fight back if I had to. I chose not to, unless there were no other options. "I could prove it, if you like," I added nastily, rising to my knees. "Would you like to see the scars?"

"Trent, you are such a wussy little mouseburger I can't stand it," Rachel said furiously. "I am never helping you out again if you don't let her go right the hell now!"

Trent was backing up, waving at the security guards to step back as well. "Rachel, were you also in the Ever After last night? It's not your usual class night," he added, and I was amused, and somehow unsurprised, that this man had kept such close tabs on Rachel that he knew her schedule that well.

"Not that it's any of your _business_, but _yes_, I _was_," she said hotly, shrugging off Quen's hold. Quen released her, having obviously reached the same conclusion as Trent. He also had the addition of a glowing green ring- green being the universal color of a truth charm. Both he and Trent had glanced at it several times, though I'd only seen it myself now.

"Then you don't know…?" Trent began, and stepped back again as Rachel took a quick step forward. Quen shifted between them and twelve guns were immediately re-aimed at her. She halted quickly.

"Know WHAT?" she demanded.

"A demon attacked one of our holdings last night," Trent said, and by "our" it was clear that he meant elven instead of one of his business interests. "Eleven dead. Top leaders. Including Ellasbeth's parents," he added, and Rachel gasped.

"You mean—" She checked herself, remembering the guards might not be in on Trent's secret. "…scientists?" she finished lamely.

"You're sure it was a demon?" I asked quietly. I was having more than a slight sinking feeling.

"Yes," Quen replied. "There was no doubt about it."

"And what did it look like…?" I asked.

"You," Quen replied.

"Oh." I sat down again. "Oh." I had apparently just fired the first volley of a renewed war between elves and demons. How nice.


	63. Whodunnit?

_Talk, talk, talk…lots of talking in this one! Still, I must be on track again. The muse is back to kicking me in the butt. _

**In Which There Is Much Amateur Armchair Detecting**

I sipped my tea, doing my best to forget that I'd just had another breakdown in front of a whole new lot of strangers, always a fun and exciting experience. The strength of it had taken me completely by surprise- apparently I wasn't as sanguine about Shane's death as I'd thought. Not that I'd had much of a chance to think about it. But with the panic had come the sight of his still, lifeless face, and it had taken everything I had just to keep Therese from sucking every ounce of power she could from Ash and leaving Trent's compound a smoking crater. Damn, Therese was a complete loose cannon. I had to get her under control!

My hands still shook, and the tea was too hot, and it was something herbal and tasteless that Ceri had conjured up for me to do me good. Well, it was doing me good, in the sense that I had to concentrate just to keep it in the cup, and that kept me busy for a good five minutes as Rachel conferred with Trent and Quen over the latest demon-elf shenanigans happening in the outside world. I caught the relevant details and kept sipping as my brain started to move again.

An act of domestic terrorism, currently blamed on, well, me. And possibly an anti-inderlander religious organization of some sort, which made no sense, but a demon had to be summoned by somebody, right?

Eleven elves, dead. Higher-up elves. All in a single building that was currently blackened, burnt-amber-scented ash. The perpetrator- the demon- looked like me.

Except without the scar.

Why? Who could possibly gain from this? To most people, I was merely a shunned black witch. The murdered elves were merely respectable, wealthy citizens. The Coven? If anything, they'd have everything to lose if the truth came out about my background and the elves' continued existence. Another demon? Other elves? Who would gain from elves picking up the fight against the demons again, especially when the demons weren't even a threat to them anymore?

"Weres?" suggested Quen.

"Doubt it. Their numbers are on the rise now too, with the Focus returned to them. But I can't imagine how wiping out elves or demons would help them. Though they might still hold a grudge against the witches. But that just seems stupid, really. No, I'd bet on vampires before weres," Rachel said, eyes narrowed. "Piscary was hot to prevent the resurgence of elves- hell, he sent Al to kill me before I could retrieve your sample."

I listened, wondering what "the Focus" was and how it applied to the werewolf population. Something to make them more powerful- or perhaps more fertile?

"Vampires have a lot to gain from vanquishing the elves," Trent agreed. "But you said Rynn Cormel has been protecting you- obviously _he_ at least sees demons as a valuable asset, not the other way around. A war would be the last thing _he'd _want."

"Besides, your face is far more well-known," Quen added, speaking to Rachel. "Instead, they chose someone shunned and silenced and unknown. Only those who already know she is a demon- and know that the victims were elves- would make the connection."

"She killed an elf who attacked her unprovoked," Rachel said. "And now she appears to have retaliated. I think this was definitely directed at getting the elves majorly pissed off at the demons."

"Or just me," I said quietly, not believing it. "Though that seems pretty unlikely. It's got to be someone with a grudge against elves. Or demons. Or both."

The same set of thoughts occurred to Rachel and I together, and we stared at each other in shock. Who, among the folks we knew, knew about elves, and would benefit from the death of demons? (How about someone with six demon marks and a grudge?) Who styled themselves as able to deal with demons and come out on top? (How about a pissed-off familiar who claimed he was a demon hunter?) Who besides elves had reason to be threatened by my existence as a full-blooded demon female? (How about the only other full-blooded female in existence?)

Who had disappeared without a trace last night?

"Shit," Rachel said.

"Yeah," I replied. "You said it. But which one was it?"

"If it was Nick, he'd have made the demon use _my_ face, I'm certain of it," Rachel said, looking tired. "Pierce may be furious with me, but he wouldn't outright try to hurt _me_." _I don't think,_ was there in her voice, but she didn't say it.

"Pierce doesn't seem the type to implicate an innocent woman," I said, and Rachel nodded her agreement. "That just leaves…"

"Newt. But why would she want to start up an all-out war?"

"If it was her, using my face, I don't think she was- she'd probably just be trying to get _me _exterminated." I shook my head. "But how would she know where to find a conclave of important elven higher-ups? And more importantly, who summoned her?"

"Nobody." Ceri's voice beside me made me jump and slosh out half my tea. She refilled my cup before I could protest. Her hands trembled slightly, but she managed not to spill any of it on my lap. "_Nobody _summons Newt. She comes and goes as she pleases. She's not bound by the rules and would _never_ let herself be pulled across the lines unwillingly."

I swallowed. I'd had no idea. "Why does she stay in the Ever After, then?"

Ceri looked haunted. "She's insane. Damaged. She can't take care of herself. If she stays here too long, she gets worse. It's difficult to explain, but being on this side hurts her. She wouldn't know where to go or what to do- she'd forget almost instantly once she got into unfamiliar territory. She is _capable_ of causing such carnage, but she couldn't possible have done it alone. Rachel, why would you suggest Newt's involvement?"

Rachel's face was pale, too- had she encountered the insane woman one too many times? "She disappeared last night. She doesn't have a familiar since she killed Minias."

"She…_killed_ Minias?" Ceri asked, aghast.

Rachel nodded, looking a little guilty. "That's what Al said, anyway. And she's been searching for a replacement ever since."

"So she may be on this side of the lines…?" Ceri asked, her calm demeanor cracking ever so slightly.

"I can't imagine she'd come _here_," Rachel reassured her. "Why would she want to? How would she know about it, or about you? She only found me through her mark on me, and that's gone. Besides, it's daylight. We're safe."

"No," Ceri said, her voice a moan. "Only those involved in the creation of the Ever After are flung there by the coming of dawn. Newt objected. She can walk under the sun, the same as you."

I gave Rachel another startled glance. "If she did come here, the boys wouldn't be able to track her, not during the day. She might still be dangerous. She might…even be in danger herself." The thought was terrifying. If Therese was dangerous when cornered, what would Newt be like, faulty memory or no?

"The…boys?" Trent asked, his handsome face twisted into an unamused grimace.

"My demon and his tracker buddies," I clarified. "Trent, would you mind if I made a phone call?"

"The extra-dimensional kind?" Rachel added helpfully.

Trent gave us a "you're both mad" look, folding his arms. "If either of you brings a demon- a real one- into my household—"

Rachel and I both started protesting at once- she that _of course_ we wouldn't, it was _daytime_, _stupid_, and me that _Hey! _I _was_ a real demon_, thankyouverymuch_! Quen smiled, Trent looked almost like he might smile, and Ceri frowned thoughfully. "Yvette," she said softly. Like Trent, she had a lovely voice, soft, pure, and compelling. It would hardly take wild magic for her to glamour someone if she chose. "Is there any reason why Newt would have left the Ever After _last night_ in particular?"

I drew a breath, happy that my nerves had apparently settled enough to at least hold the cup steady and answer clearly. "The biting and clawing thing Ash did to me, it kind of set off some sort of… chain reaction that affected others. Newt probably felt it and…" I stopped. What might the Queen Mother of the Damned have done? Would she have reacted like Rachel? Or would she have tried to escape it?

Ceri hissed through her teeth and delicately filled my teacup again. I was too polite to tell her that it tasted like faintly herbal dishwater, and could I perhaps have come coffee instead? "It's a rare thing," she said. "It's even rarer for the _lucky_ recipient to survive it," she added, voice heavy with sarcasm, "but of course you would have, you're a demon woman. The others weren't. Unless the demon was very careful. And when they get into _that _kind of mood, they're usually…not."

_You should have heard the screams last night. Familiars are such worthless, fragile little things when it comes to fulfilling such basic, animal needs…_

I shivered. Quen put an arm around his wife, though she looked untroubled. Ceri had to have been made of equal parts steel and sheer grit, to speak so casually of what had to be a traumatic experience for any familiar. Trent, on the other hand, was apparently too much of a social dimwit to connect the dots, and asked, "What are you talking about?" earning a reproachful glance from Quen. The more I saw of Quen and Trent, the less their relationship looked like simple millionaire and bodyguard to me. Not quite a father and son thing, but certainly Quen was an old friend and possibly mentor to Trent, who looked so impossibly young for his position in the world.

Ceri folded her arms, a gesture that looked more protective than hostile. "It's an old instinct they have. Demon females were never easily convinced to reproduce, so when one male manages to nudge a female down that path, it triggers others to be more…receptive." Rachel had turned away under the pretense of filling her own teacup again, her loose hair hiding her blush. I just shrugged. It seemed like everyone on the planet would learn about my business with Ash, so I might as well accept it. "The ripples spread across the lines, even unto reality." Ceri whispered, and shuddered. "I thought it was only a nightmare, but…"

"I'm so sorry," I said quietly. Not that I'd had a lot of say in the process, or had any inkling of the consequences. Now I understood why Al, Dali, and even Ash had insisted I wear silver- it would keep me out of the lines, preventing this circumstance._ Hindsight, what a gift._

"How would Newt have reacted, do you think?" Rachel asked.

"In the centuries I spent with Al, Newt initiated it herself several times. It always resulted in the death of her familiar and turmoil in the Ever After. And good business for Al," she added, eyes glittering. "I lost friends every time. Fortunately for me, Al…has very good self-control. And Newt…well, if she remembers anything of those incidents, her memories are bound to be very, _very_ bad. She might try to escape them. If she remembers what happened at all, which is unlikely. Or maybe….maybe she went looking for Minias. She loved him, you know. She was closer to him than to any of her previous familiars. He must have betrayed her utterly for her to kill him."

Rachel bit her lip. "He did. Unwittingly, but he did."

"So there is the possibility she is furious at me for triggering a bad memory in her," I said. "And is framing me…" I shook my head. "I dunno, it doesn't seem like her- she's either a lot more direct, or a lot more subtle." A thought struck me. "If she really was in the grip of a bad flashback, she wouldn't be thinking about _me_," I said. "She'd be either hiding from it or fighting it, she might even decimate a building or two, but she wouldn't target elves specifically, and she wouldn't think to look like me while doing it. She might even be more likely to stick around in the Ever After and take out any male who got too close. We'd have heard about _that_!"

"And anyway, the attack happened about two hours after the, uh, incident," Rachel added. "If it was an impulsive thing, wouldn't it have been two hours earlier?"

"I can't imagine Newt leaving the safety of the Ever After for anything but the most pressing of reasons,' Ceri said. "I know that sounds odd, but as traumatized as she was occasionally, she never fled to reality. That's why I was so shocked to see her in your church, Rachel. Only something as vitally important as finding another demon woman could have drawn her across the lines."

Rachel had recovered, and I could see from the look on her face that she was utterly relieved nobody had asked her just why she'd have spent the night in the Ever After herself. "So, what, then? Have we just ruled out all of our potential suspects? Are we back to persons unknown summoning a random demon for reasons of their own?"

But Ceri's last statement had raised another possibility in me…a really chilling one. "What if…what if it was _another_ demon woman? One who didn't know what she was, until she felt the ripples in the line last night?"

_And if so…why the hell would she look like me?_


	64. Unexpected Allies

**I****n Which Evie Finally Gets Answers, and an Unexpected Call That Raises More Questions**

Rachel scoffed at the suggestion, but Trent suddenly looked very, very blank. He excused himself a short while later, walking off with a purposeful stride. Rachel and I gave each other a "bwah?" look, but Quen wasn't giving out explanations, and Ceri looked just as puzzled as we were.

The amateur detective hour seemed to be over, with the rest of us concluding that without any further information, there was little we could do. Rachel was already on the phone with Ivy, risking the vampire's ire by waking her before noon. I could hear Jenks' shrill voice in the background, both laughing at Ivy and scolding Rachel for not checking in earlier. Rachel tried to be nonchalant, but I could tell she was dreading going home and having them figure out what had happened the previous night. She might have scrubbed herself raw, hiding her adventure from the elves we were hanging out with, but a vampire could sense even a hint of another vampire's influence. Rachel had told me that she was hopeful that Ivy wouldn't notice, as Al had already bitten her once before, but deep down she knew she'd have to tell her partners eventually. They weren't huge fans of Pierce, but they'd hardly see a one night stand with Al as trading _up_.

And Rachel was bound and determined that it was just that: a one-time moment of utter madness that would never, ever happen again. I had my doubts on that, but I didn't voice them. I'd already had this talk with Therese.

I finished my tea and asked Ceri if she had any Earl Grey instead, as I was feeling stupid and slow from the aftereffects of my attack and could use some caffeine. She gave me a _tsk, tsk_ look and filled my teapot with another herbal mix instead. "It's my own blend," she said. "I think you'll like it better." She sat herself down by me, looking serene and composed. She really was a beautiful woman, and it was hard to believe she could radiate such peace after the life she'd led. Was it motherhood? Or Quen? I was curious to meet her child, who was currently napping peacefully in the next room. Solange was taking the opportunity to grab some sleep herself. "How's Solange working out?" I asked finally.

"Yvette, I wish to thank you. Not only did you do a wonderful thing for Solange, but...I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have someone to talk to. Someone who understands what it's like. There are things I still cannot bring myself to tell Quen, but with Solange, I don't have to explain or justify anything. I don't have to be ashamed. You've given both of us a priceless gift, and I am in your debt."

I stared at Ceri in surprise, both at her formal speech and because it hadn't even occurred to me that Ceri might benefit from having a fellow survivor to talk to. I'd only thought about how she could help Solange. "I'm so glad," I said, and felt the unfamiliar sensation of tears prickling at my eyes. I blinked rapidly, uncertain what it was I was feeling. It held admiration, melancholy and longing. I frowned, looking away, unable to voice my sudden distress.

Ceri busied herself with tea things, affecting not to see. "She is picking up English very rapidly, though both Trent and I can speak French. She has positively bloomed since she arrived. Rowan absolutely adores her."

I nodded, envious of Solange and the wonderfully normal life she had to look forward to, and squashed that feeling as best I could. "And how is Rowan?"

Ceri beamed. "She is perfect. Absolutely perfect. She's passed the critical age and has a clean bill of health. Our people are rejoicing, Quen and I most of all." She clasped her hands around the crucifix she wore. "Every day I thank God for this blessing, for the chance to redeem myself. It was no accident that He used Rachel to save me, Quen, and now our beloved child. Trent disagrees with me, but I can see clearly that we must help both species rebuild, not just our own. Those in the Ever After must remain trapped there- I don't know how they can ever be rehabilitated, and I'm not_ that _generous- but there is no reason your children, and Rachel's, and ours should not walk under the sun together."

I was totally floored. This woman had spent a thousand years being abused by demons, and she was proposing that demons and elves might learn to get along? "I wish I had your optimism," I said wonderingly. "And your capacity for forgiveness. You're frankly amazing, you know that?"

Ceri smiled. "As I said, Trent disagrees. On all counts. Luckily Quen is older, and wiser." She sighed. "Convincing the rest of the elves will be challenging, to say the least, but before my captivity I was a princess, trained in diplomacy. I have high hopes that I can make a difference."

I sipped my tea gingerly. This batch was delicious, anise-scented and stimulating. "Ceri...? May I ask you a question, about...?" Ceri caught my meaning and nodded. "Do you remember, some thirty years ago, when Al brought home two teenagers he'd bought from Ash? One was named Russel, or Red. Ash caught four that night, and the others were named Judy, Greg, and Toby. They were my friends, and I've always wondered what happened to them."

Ceri stared at me gravely as she thought back to those days, years ago. "I knew them," she said, and I straightened up in surprise. She gave me a thoughtful glance, and the sunlight glimmered fetchingly on her fine, fair hair. "But what_ you _really want to know is, do they still blame you?"

It occurred to me that this woman was well over a thousand years old. Of course she might be a little more perceptive than I gave her credit for... I bowed my head and nodded.

There was a long silence before Ceri spoke again, her voice gentle. "They did, for a time. But the process of becoming a familiar is emotionally...shattering. The process leaves you with no illusions, no self-deceptions, no hope. It's a numb state of mind, and when you cannot feel pain, you cannot feel anger or blame. Or love, or forgiveness."

I took a deep breath and let it out again, remembering the blankness of Solange's eyes when I'd first met her. I imagined such eyes in Judy's face. I met Ceri's eyes, seeing only compassion there. "Do you really wish to know?" she asked, and I nodded. So she told me what she knew, of how Ash had given Russel and Judy to Al in payment of a debt, of how Al sold them to Andrealphus and Mictlanteculhtli. She told me what she knew of their daily lives, of the men and women they'd become in their eternally youthful bodies. She told me what she knew of the other two, who she'd met a few times in the course of her duties, how Greg had proven unsuitable for familiar duty and had been relegated to the entertainment industry. How Toby had ended up with a demon who was a heavy substance abuser, and (irony of ironies) had to run his household most of the time when his master was off seeking Nirvana with whatever latest batch of chemical bliss he'd cooked up.

I let her words drift into me, soothing the last of the ache within me as she continued to tell me about their lives, sparing none of the brutal details. It was vastly different than I'd imagined- better in some ways, far worse in others. A great weight had lifted, to be replaced with a new ache of melancholy.

"Thank you," I told her sincerely, wiping my eyes. "I tried to get Ash to buy them and free them," I added, "but it just led to a big fight."

"It doesn't work that way," Ceri agreed. "Demons don't sell their familiars. Familiars know them too well, know too many secrets. A used familiar is always discarded. Usually killed outright. Never, ever freed. Unless you can trick them away, as Rachel did me, I'm afraid your friends are lost for good."

I was about to add that even if I could, Newt held the souls of three of them, but I felt a familiar tickle in my nose. "Uh oh. I think Ash is calling. Would Trent be pissed if I drew a calling circle here?"

"Probably," Ceri said with a grin. "But what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

I smiled back, and began to sketch one on a sheet of paper with a pencil. She watched with amusement as I completed the lopsided curse, lopsided because the sneezes kept making my hand jerk, and invoked it with a few drops of blood. The smut settled over me with a little chill, and I reached out with my mind. _Ash?_ But it wasn't Ash. It wasn't even a demon._ Who is...Adrian? Seriously! Is that you?_

_This is the freakiest feeling- am I doing this right?_

I couldn't help laughing. I had to admit he had balls, trying a demon curse that could, if you screwed it up, land you floating bodiless in the collective until your corporeal form wasted away. But maybe he didn't know that? _Yeah. You're doing it right. But how did you learn the curse?_

_You did it right in front of me. The amulet was still recording._

_But how did you invoke it?_

_Your blood. The blood we drew for the test? There's a bit left over. I've kept it. I told the Coven I destroyed the rest._

_Oh. _I wasn't sure how I felt about that, or about a coven member who was suddenly willing to perform demon magic. Unless the Coven had changed gears entirely, Adrian was going rogue. _You, ah, know that there's some smut that comes with this curse, right?_

_That attack,_ he thought at me, ignoring my warning and coming right out with what he wanted, _Was it you?_

_No, of course not! Why the hell would I do that?_

_I don't know, revenge? _

_How petty. _

_No, you're right. I can feel it in your head, you didn't do it. This is the weirdest thing I've ever felt._

_Welcome to my world._

_So who did it?_

_I have no idea. I'd rather like to know myself...I'm not that happy about being framed for the murder of eleven people._

_Eleven? _ I could sense his shock, then sudden doubt, then that uncomfortable feeling one gets when one has worse news to break. _The death toll was close to forty, with nearly a hundred more injured when the building fell._

"WHAT?" I shrieked aloud, catching everyone's attention. "They told me it was only eleven!"

_Eleven? There were over two hundred people working in that research facility._

"I didn't know. I only learned about it a few minutes ago." Since Trent wasn't around, I glared at Quen, who looked intrigued rather than alarmed. Fucking elves. Of course it was only their kind that mattered to them. "It was a research facility? What kind?"

_Well, for the record it was food science. Additives and whatnot. But it was more than that- there's only a few people who know this, but it was a cover for an illegal genetic research facility dedicated to trying to solve the problem of elven infant mortality._

"Then why would a research facility dedicated to that still be around?"

_Their cover story...they couldn't just close down suddenly once Trent's lab found the cure. But, Miss Sinclaire, the other Coven members have been acting really...funny. Since the explosion, I mean? I think there was more going on there than even illegal research into elves. I think there was something going on involving witches, too. I wasn't told, and neither was Vivian. But Oliver and Brooke were involved, somehow. We were funding them on the sly, but as it was always for a noble cause, we didn't object.  
_

Rachel was listening in, now, and I related what I'd learned to her. "Ellasbeth is a top scientist herself. Trent told me once she was...I forget the term, something about nuclear transplant, I think? Cell related, anyway. Her parents were probably involved somehow, too."

_Rachel Morgan is there with you? Were you together last night?_

"Yeah, she's here with me. I can vouch for her whereabouts last night, too. Neither of us were anywhere near...hey, where did this happen, anyway?"

_Near San Franciso. Miss Sinclaire, would you be willing to come out here? The Coven ordered me to summon you, but I thought I should should probably ask first._

_They know you have my summoning name? _I wasn't exactly thrilled to learn this.

_I told them I can't tell them, or you'd steal my soul. I heard that was a standard demon thing. _

_Heh. Do they know you can talk to us like this? _ I asked suddenly.

_Well, no, but they decided they needed a member who was willing to learn some really basic demon magic, since there were at least three known demons running around this side of the lines. I, uh, got volunteered._

"Nice. Yeah, you can summon me out there if you want, but I don't know what good it will do. Ash could just yank me back anytime, if he finds out I'm missing, so don't be worried if I leave suddenly. See you at sunset?"

_Do...do I need a circle?_

I had to laugh. "If you want, not that it'll do you any good. I should probably tell you that I'm not bound by the rules. I can lie my ass off. To be honest, I could probably break out of it if I wanted to, anyway. Rachel did, after all."

_Oh. Good point. Yeah, I remember that!_

I chuckled. "But if you have any buddies you want to impress, go ahead. Just don't turn me over to the Coven, all right?"

_I wouldn't dare. _

Rachel gave me an odd look. "Evie, who is it?"

"Adrian," I said. "Adrian Wister from the Coven? I, uh, owe him a favor. He wants to summon me to San Francisco. You want to come with?"

"You gave your summoning name to a _Coven member_?" she asked, aghast.

"I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time," I said wryly, and I felt Adrian's amusement break through his trepidation. "So you want to come?"

"Are you kidding?" she said, her face curving into a predatory grin. "I couldn't pass up a mystery like this! But there's no way I'm giving my name to the Coven."

"Would you trust me with it?" I asked, and she looked at me thoughtfully for a long moment before nodding reluctantly.

"All right, Adrian. Rachel's coming too."

_Miss Sinclaire, I appreciate this. There's something really screwy going on here. I think Viv and I are asking too many questions. There's more to tell you when you get here._

He disconnected, but I kept my hand where it was, staring thoughtfully at the paper. Rachel sat nearby, looking at me curiously. "He's suspicious that the other Coven members are up to something, and that there was more to that building that blew up than even an illegal research lab. Something potentially involving witches."

Rachel looked both disgusted and intrigued. "It wouldn't surprise me, between Oliver's incompetence and Brook's mad plots for world domination with an army of test-tube demon babies."

I shook my head. "So much for setting moral or ethical standards..."


	65. A Good Curse Goes Bad

_Oops! I got all flustered by a minor little mistake in the last chapter that I was sure threw my plot WAAAAY off, but luckily I didn't go too much further with the plot that depended on it, so...hmmm...what to do, what to do...? The solution was so stupidly simple that I'm kicking myself that it took so long. And I only had to change three itty-bitty sentences in the last chapter, so you probably won't even notice. *g* AND it sets up an even BETTER scenario to play with!  
_

**In Which Evie Does Everything Right And It STILL Goes Wrong  
**

_What the hell do you want? _

They obviously hadn't found Newt yet, I could tell from the distracted irritation in Dali's mental signature. _What time did Newt go missing last night, and is there any chance she's in reality?_

Dali's first response, swearing at me not to waste his time, abruptly switched to suspicion. _Why?_

_Because a demon attacked an elven research facility last night. A demon with my face, apparently. Rachel and I are looking into it, but we'd like to rule out Newt's involvement for obvious reasons. _ If Newt was involved, we'd need a hell of a lot more backup, that was for sure!

_Why would she do that?_

_I haven't a clue! But if she's over here, I don't want to just bump into her unprepared, ya know?_

_What the hell are you doing on that side of the lines? _

_I'm not a prisoner, Dali. Ash is busy. If you recall. I'm with Rachel. _

I could tell that Dali wanted to hang up in disgust, but there was just the barest hint of suspicion that I might be right. _According to her watcher, she knocked him out and left shortly after Rachel's signature hit the lines. About two hours after yours._

Yup. The entire fucking Ever After knew about us. I resisted the urge to smack my head into the desk, and felt Dali mentally smirking over my embarrassment. _Shit. That's about the time the demon blew up the building. Shit. Dali, why would she do it?_

_You're asking me? She's batshit, isn't that enough of a reason? How long until sundown?_

I glanced at the clock. _About six and a half hours._

_Fucking sun. All right, I'm sending you a curse. Use it and report back. Are you wearing silver? Don't lose yourself._

_You're sending me a- _I broke off as there was a sort of sunburst behind my eyes, and I knew the trigger word for a curse I'd never learned. _Heh. Cool! _ A moment later, my mind reeled again as Dali disconnected. I shook my head to clear it of the freaky sensations that the demon cel phone left me with, and told Rachel the gist of the conversation.

"What's the curse do?" Rachel asked.

"I have no idea, I just have a trigger word." Dali's warning made me dig in my pocket for the silver bands, the spare set of modified bracelets that limited my access to the lines. I sighed, realizing that if I'd thought to put them back on last night, perhaps none of this would have happened, and those people wouldn't have died at Newt's hands.

Ceri looked at me sharply. "Yvette, I'd prefer you didn't use an unknown curse in our dwelling."

Good point... "Agreed. Would Trent mind if we went out onto the grounds?" I asked.

"I will accompany you," Quen said.

"Where'd he go, anyway?" Rachel asked. "He's been gone for awhile now."

"He looked like he had more than a couple of scruffy demon women on his mind when he left," I replied with a wry grin. "I suspect he knows what was going on out there and isn't telling."

"Well, tell him thanks for not shooting us," Rachel said, after giving Ceri a farewell hug. After an mutually awkward moment, Ceri hugged me as well. I accepted it gratefully, again feeling that odd melancholy and realizing it was simple loneliness. I barely knew this woman, but wished I could know her better. The thought that her people might even now blame me for restarting a war was heartbreaking.

If time hadn't been so short, I would have awoken Solange just to say hi, but the question of whether Newt was causing trouble on this side of the lines was too pressing to put on hold for long. Quen led us though hallways and various outbuildings, out to what looked like a pasture, then beyond into a lovely scenic garden that was immaculately maintained. There was a brief argument over whether or not he should stick around, but Quen won, and vanished into the trees to watch from a safe distance.

Slipping the silver onto my wrists, I took a deep breath and invoked the curse, dying of curiosity to see what it did. My mind connected to the nearest line and sucked in a huge amount of power that I spindled easily and instinctively. The world went white in my vision, and I immediately regretted simply trusting Dali. What if he'd taken the opportunity to screw with me...? But the white cleared as the power was flung from my body and rippled out across the lines, dragging my consciousness with it. It was freaky, and if Rachel hadn't caught me, I would have knocked myself out on a stone bench. As it was, I was overwhelmed by the sensations of every single freaking ley line on the planet, a network of discordant slashes diving and weaving about like the arteries and capillaries of a single living being, all connected at some deeper, extra-dimensional level. I tried to remember to breathe, that I did have a body. California's jangly lines slashed against me, turbulent and surly, and the harsh lines of the north iced through my veins like liquid nitrogen. The fiery lines spreading through the Middle East, those that even predated the Ever After, danced and wove fantastic, colorful afterimages in my thoughts. I forgot that this was a curse, and only the silver bands on my wrists kept me anchored to my body. Dali's warning had been very real.

_What the hell do you think you're doing? _ My _yazataksh_ had obviously detected me in the lines and was royally pissed off.

_This is so trippy, _I replied, barely able to keep my thoughts coherent enough for communication. _Doing a curse for Dali. Looking for Newt. _

_Fucking sun!_ Ash cursed, having tried to jump over to my location and failed. _I'm going to kill Dali when I get back._

_Call you later,_ I said, because it was just too much work to maintain my focus. I let my conscientiousness melt back into the lines, feeling certain that the curse was tugging me here and there, seeking Newt's distinctive signature. The ride was exhilarating!

It ended shockingly abruptly when I found her. Or rather, rammed fully into her mental signature. Newt was fucking _riding the lines herself! _We both recoiled with confusion when our thoughts melded together briefly in a confused jumble that left us reeling. The world went scarlet with our sudden terror- hers or mine, it wasn't clear which. We were being attacked! She recovered almost instantly and responded, instinctively repelling me, and I felt my consciousness shatter as the curse was abruptly nullified.

Shit! I was suddenly abandoned, adrift in the lines, and the curse that could bring me back had just been dispersed. _Ash! _ I wailed, suddenly terrified. The sensation was almost exactly what I'd felt the night I'd nearly died, my mind spread out over the lines, dissipating. Could Ash even help me, stuck on the other side of the lines? I had to focus, I had to find my body and return to it. Ash had done it for me once- could I do it myself? I tried to recall the sensations, the feeling of him pulling me back together, remembered that I had an anchor now, and silver- surely the demons had just this situation in mind when they designed the bracelets, right? I wasn't tapping the lines, either, was I? I was just riding in them, and not even with my body. I could do this. I could do this!

_Damn it, Evie! _ Ash was most definitely not thrilled with my antics. _Can't I leave you alone for five minutes?_

_She's in the lines, Ash! She wrecked my curse! _

_Dali, you fucking idiot. I can't even summon you, I'd just get your soul, not your body, and the body won't last long without its soul. I can help a little, but you have to find your own way back, love._

_How?_ I asked plaintively, but all I got was a burst of furious frustration. But I could feel Ash's influence- it was getting easier to think, as my mentor gathered the thoughts that were currently flung all over the planet. Again. Though it was easier this time, with our mutual bonds already in place. He was a magnet, an anchor, drawing me to him and giving me a place to reassemble. His thoughts enfolded me, black with deadly fury at Dali and I. It was a familiar anger, even if I knew it meant I'd have the Demon of Wrath bitching at me when I got home. At least this time it wasn't my fault, damn it!

Having Ash there, even if he was pissed, kept me from panic, and I thought of things I could look for. The line I came through. Rachel or Quen. Perhaps Ash's mark on me? Worth a shot- I searched for the one bit of Ash that wasn't with the rest. I had his aura all over my body, after all.

It was that easy. One moment I was lost in the lines, and the next I was gasping for breath and shivering all over as Rachel steadied me. It was a few moments before I could speak, but I managed to gasp out, "She's on this side of the lines!"

"I know," Rachel said quietly.

"But I don't know where she is," I finished, as Rachel helped me sit up. "I found her, but-"

"She's here." I started and looked where Rachel was pointing, open-mouthed in shock and growing sick horror. "You did the curse, then went all funny, and then she just...showed up."

The crouching figure with her back mostly to us was the unmistakable form of Newt. And before her, a prone form with dark hair.

Oh God. _Quen._


	66. Lost and Found

_Aw, you didn't really think I'd kill off Quen, didja? ;) Wow, this one turned out long. I've discovered that while I love Newt, she's really tough to write._

**In Which A Very Redundant Conversation Is Had. Repeatedly. Over and Over.**

"Oh, _no_," I whispered, as Rachel just sat there beside me. "Did he try-"

"Huh? Who?" Rachel whispered back, confusion evident.

"Quen," I said, and she looked back behind us to the trees where Quen had hidden.

"He's still hidden. He might have gone back for backup. Though if he's smart he'll stay away."

Relief made me sag, but that only brought Rachel's still, coiled tension into sharp contrast. "Then who's...?"

"I don't know."

I wasn't sure why we were still whispering. Newt could obviously hear us- she was only a dozen or so feet away. She turned her head to regard us, and we both froze. But the look in her eyes was totally blank.

No, worse than blank. Newt looked confused, and...sad. Desolate. She turned back to the unmoving figure on the ground, slowly sitting down on the stones of the path as if she were very, very old, dismissing us. "Too late," she said. "Couldn't get it all."

Rachel and I gave each other a confused look and a shrug. With six hours to go before sunset, we wouldn't be getting any backup any time soon. The best we could do would be to watch Newt, try to keep her from leaving, or killing anyone, or blowing anything else up. Or us, for that matter. "Too late...for what?" Rachel asked her cautiously.

"Too late. Took too long. I forgot..."

If she were any other being on the planet, I'd have wanted to comfort her. But this was probably the most dangerous, unpredictable creature on either side of the lines. Still...Rachel was slowly getting to her feet and I suddenly felt ashamed that I was still too stunned and frightened to move. "Is...is there anything we can do?" she asked quietly.

Newt looked up at her without recognition, and a strange expression, almost frightened, flitted across her features. "I killed my sisters," she said, looking bewildered. "You can't be here. How are you here?"

"I'm not your sister, Newt. Do you remember me?" Rachel knelt cautiously beside the confused demon woman, then reached for the prone figure's wrist and felt for a pulse.

"You look like them. Not your eyes, though."

"I know." She looked down at the body, surprised. "She's still alive, Newt. We might be able to help her."

She? Curiosity finally overcame caution and I worked up the guts to approach as well. The crumpled figure was indeed a young woman. She looked perhaps barely twenty, and had shoulder-length black hair. She had the scent of a witch, as Rachel and I did. The young woman was covered with white dust and blood, though there were no visible injuries on her otherwise. She lay unnaturally still, not even noticeably breathing.

Had we found our mysterious demon? I gave her another critical once-over as Rachel, still moving very cautiously, ran a hand over the girl's body, checking for injuries. Superficially, she did resemble me in form, height, and coloring, but her features were clearly different...though perhaps not different enough to distinguish through a black and white, grainy security camera at night.

"Alive? Not for long." Newt examined me again as I, too, crouched near the little group. She had no clue who I was, I could tell. She gazed at my aura, took my measure, and appeared to put me into the "mostly harmless" category in her head. "Soul's gone. She got lost."

"Lost...lost in the lines?" I asked. "Newt, is she a demon, too?"

Newt nodded impatiently, and sighed. "Too late," she said again. "I can't fix this." She looked at Rachel, clearly for guidance. "What do I do, Saya?"

Rachel and I shared a look again. This was a far cry from the Newt that we knew, this lost and confused woman, and we didn't want to say anything that might remind her she was the queen mother of the damned. "I'm Rachel, Newt. What are the options?" Rachel asked.

"Healed her body. Looked for her soul." Newt held up her hand, cupped, and we saw something indistinct swirl there like a faint blue mist. "This is what's left."

"Can't you...put it back?" Rachel asked.

"Damaged." Newt brushed a lock of hair from the girl's face, her movement somehow both jerky and gentle. I realized her hand was trembling. Newt was really shaken by this. Why? Ceri's words came to me, about how being on this side of the lines was traumatic to her, and that only something as important as finding another demon would compel her to cross. And also that Newt herself had a damaged soul, and needed a familiar to take care of her.

"But you could save her," Rachel insisted.

"Should I?" Newt asked, looking down at the girl again. "Do you think so? Why?"

"Because-" Rachel quailed as Newt turned a thunderous look on her.

"Would you do it _again_?" she accused, and Rachel leaned away in startled confusion.

"I don't-"

"You condemned me to this!" Newt growled, eyes narrowing as Rachel's eyes widened in sudden fear. "You-"

"Newt, this isn't your sister," I reminded her quietly. "Who is this girl?"

Newt started, as if she'd forgotten I was even there. Her black, accusing gaze fixed me briefly, but then dropped back to the girl before she squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. "I don't know. Am I supposed to know her?"

Like most conversations with Newt, this one was getting hard to follow. "Newt, this girl is a demon woman, and you have her soul," I prompted, trying very hard not to sound like I was talking to a toddler.

"I do?" She looked down at her hand, where the forgotten soul still swirled sluggishly. "Why did I take this?" She peered at it quizzically. "It's not complete. There needs to be more."

"So you said," Rachel said, and once more tensed as Newt's black pools fixed on her again. "You were trying to find the rest. To help her," she added.

"Where's her familiar?" Newt asked. "She needs her familiar. Why isn't she here?"

"Newt, she probably doesn't have a familiar, at least not a real one." _A real one? _Geez, was I demon enough now to look _down_ on mere animal familiars? "She probably doesn't even know she's a demon. You came across the lines to find her."

Newt's shoulders visibly shook as she shuddered, eyes squeezed shut again. Ceri was right, this was hell on the woman. Without anything familiar to cling to, to keep her grounded and provide a reminder of who and where she was, she was completely lost.

"Newt, it's all right...we'll help you," Rachel said coaxingly.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Newt backhanded Rachel across the path and into a tangle of expensive-looking rosebushes as effortlessly as swatting a fly, suddenly looking furious. "_I don't need help!_" she roared. "_Not from you!_" She continued to curse in some unidentifiable language as Rachel shook the stars from her head and tried to right herself without losing half of her skin to thorns. Newt's hands began to glow and Rachel quickly put a circle around herself, though an undrawn circle would be little protection against Newt.

"Newt!" I snapped, giving up on the walking-on-eggshells business out of sheer impatience. "The girl's dying, and you have her soul. Are you going to save her or not? And leave Rachel alone, she-"

Now I got the hand, and found myself flat on my back a few feet away with grit down my collar. Newt looked at me with frustration, anger, and growing suspicion. "It was you! You attacked me in the lines!"

"I did not, I just ran into you!" I said, trying not to let my voice squeak with my sudden fright. "Dali sent me to look for you!"

"Dali," she spat, calming. Evidently this was someone she knew well enough to dislike intensely. She looked like she was chewing lemons. Really bitter lemons, but familiar enough to be palatable. Newt's world suddenly righted itself with an almost audible click. "So he's worried enough to send two untrained _tirunculae_ after me?"

"Well, it's daylight- there's nobody else to send," Rachel said, her reasonable voice a bit strained as she pulled herself free of thorns and dusted herself off, then dropped her circle a little sheepishly.

Newt squinted at the sun and harrumphed, mollified. "So I have you two to babysit me. How sweet. This should be fun. Why the hell am I here?"

We both pointed to the girl on the ground. Again. "You came here to find her," Rachel said. "She was lost in the lines, you salvaged what you could of her soul and now we're debating whether or not you put it back in her body."

Newt scowled and looked disgusted. "There's a debate? Why?" She looked at the little swirl of blue like it was a particularly ugly bug, then a slow, evil smile spread over her lips. "Well, now. A companion in my misery. Won't that be nice?"

Rachel and I gave each other another look. Difficult as she was to follow, we both realized we liked the confused version a lot better than this new, nasty Newt. Still, coherency was an advantage. "Now wait a minute, Newt- you weren't sure about it a minute ago."

"I wasn't?" Newt was busily examining the girl with motions that were swift, sure, and devoid of any kindness. It was like someone turning an apple, looking for any bruises, before crunching into it. "You think I'd pass up an opportunity like this? I'd think you two would be grateful that I've found the perfect little pet for me."

I felt myself paling, and saw Rachel blanching as well. "Newt, she's just a kid- what are you going to do to her?"

"You kidding? She's perfect. Train her up and-" She paused, having pulled back the girl's sleeve and discovered a preexisting demon mark. Without her soul, the girl had no aura, and none of us had noticed the magical mark on her. "Well, shit. Someone already owns her."

This was weird enough, but now it was getting distinctly unpleasant. "Who's mark is it, Newt?" I asked, noting that Newt's expression was brewing another thunderstorm.

"Zaebos," she spat, scowling darkly.

I bit my lip. Zaebos was a demon I'd summoned only once. He'd been referred by Al, but I'd found him far too unpleasant to work with. And that was saying a lot, for a demon. I mean, Ash was charming until he turned on you, Al was affably evil, Devi reveled in being gleefully perverted, but Zee...Zee was just…_odd_. Everything about him was very _off_. He wandered- his thoughts, his eyes, even his form wavered in an unsettling way. He wasn't crazy in the way that Newt was, but I'd wager he was well on his way to getting there. He wasn't in the familiar hunting business, which made me wonder why someone had his name, had summoned him, and had trusted him enough to actually pull off a deal with him. I wasn't sure what his business was, but I vowed to find out as soon as I could. "Why the hell would anyone summon _Zee_?"

"Do you think _she_ did it?" Rachel asked.

"Is there any way to ask her?"

"Why should I care?" Newt asked. "I'll just have to trade Zee for his mark, and-"

"Newt..." I began, then stopped as soon as her black, malevolent gaze fell on me again. I found myself disappointed- for a moment there, before I'd mentioned Dali, she'd seemed...well, if not kinder, at least less eager to exploit the girl. Whoever this mysterious demon girl was, wherever she'd come from, she deserved better than to be stolen away for a life of slavery and degradation. But I couldn't just _say_ that, Newt would have my hide. "We've just found another demon woman. Are there more? Isn't it possibly time to stop thinking in terms of ownership and start thinking in terms of partnership?"

Lame, I know, and Newt gave me a very condescending look. "You're both young and naive," she said disdainfully. "And if you two don't realize that you're both being used just as cruelly, I suggest you take another hard look at your respective males and the deals that bind you. She'll be better off in my hands, at least..." She frowned, glaring at Zee's mark. "Except I'll have to fight him in court, won't I?"

Rachel folded her arms and stared at the dirt, perhaps thinking over her escalating deals with Al and the recent turn in their relationship. "Maybe so," she said slowly, "But it was by choice. That makes a difference."

"Right," I said, as Newt scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Same here. Give her the choice, too." Granted, it wouldn't be much of a choice, but perhaps there was some way to save her from being lost forever to the complicated demon legal system. Something involving marks?

Newt sat back, regarding the two of us levelly. "What choice? What the hell choice is there?"

"To live or die," I said.

"To be yours, or Zee's," Rachel said at the same time. We looked at each other, startled. Newt just chuckled humorlessly at us.

"And why should I?"

"For the love of Pete, Newt, because it's the fucking decent thing to do!" I burst, losing my patience. "And if she ever gets herself untangled from the mess she's in, she might be more willing to ally herself with you- and us- than if _you_ just fuck her over, too!"

"We all mark her," Rachel said quietly. "Then Zee doesn't have as much of a claim. Then she doesn't belong solely to any of us. Then we can..." She swallowed, and forced the words out, "then we can negotiate the question of her ownership at a later time." She looked between us. "Isn't that how it works? Whoever has the most marks, wins?"

Newt had her lemon-face on again. I didn't much like the idea, either. Marking someone as mine, it was just so...amoral. (Ash didn't count; he'd done it to himself.) "Then what?" Newt said, calculating. "Who keeps her?" She touched the girl's face again, this time as if she were actually a child and not just a potential tool. "She's going to be damaged, you know. Like me. If I had any pity, I'd let her die, but she's too useful."

Rachel and I looked at each other again. "Could she stay with you?" we both asked each other simultaneously, and Newt laughed wickedly.

"So eager to save her, but neither of you want the responsibility of her," she cackled. "So typical. A deal, then. I will let you two mark her. In return, she stays with me. And you ally with me in court to buy her mark back from Zee."

Shit. This was going really bad really quickly. But how on earth would Rachel and I have a chance at stopping her from doing whatever the hell she wanted? I looked at Rachel for inspiration, but Rachel was looking miserable. Neither of us were in a position to adopt a mysterious demon foundling, and we knew it. Leaving her on this side of the lines might prove fatal, and Zee would eventually come for her anyway. The girl was pretty much already doomed. "Would you train her?" Rachel asked sadly. "As a demon, and not just as a familiar?"

Newt looked the girl over again, measured her, and shrugged. "We'll see. If she shows promise."

"And you won't abuse her, or let anyone else...?" Rachel added, and Newt gave her an innocent look.

"Now, why would I do that?" she said.

"If you do, I'll sell Rachel my mark and the ownership issue will come up again," I said, and Newt gave an evil chuckle.

"So naïve," she said mockingly, but she seemed in a much better mood.

"I still think you should ask her what she wants," I said, and Rachel nodded.

"Can't, yet," Newt said shortly, refocusing on the little broken soul in her hand. "Not until it's done. But I'll humor you. If she chooses death," she said, grinning at me, "I'll let her go. My mark goes on you, instead."

I let my breath escape in a frustrated, disgusted hiss. "_Fine,_" I said furiously, just wanting this to be done with.

"And if she picks Zee?" Rachel asked.

Newt snorted. "She won't. But if she does, my mark goes on _you._"

Rachel looked much less sanguine about this, but nodded. And just like that, we realized we were now rooting for the girl to decide that life with Newt was better than the alternatives before her. Tricky bitch.

Newt drew a knife from her robes and swiftly cut a small circle on the girl's bicep. She whispered a word and the cut healed instantly. Rachel took the knife and, looking faintly ill, carved another circle adjacent to Newt's. She spoke the same word, and then her own mark glimmered faintly next to Newt's. Newt looked terribly triumphant as she handed me the knife, and I realized there was something else going on here besides just deciding the girl's fate. Of course there had to be. Newt never did anything for simple reasons, and this was no exception.

Trying not to let my hand tremble, I cut a third small circle, making a triangle with the other two. I invoked the curse, felt a sudden connection being forged between us. Then it was done. A simple, simple thing...so why did I feel suddenly sick with guilt and shame over it? We'd wanted to help this innocent kid, and the best we could do was give her to Newt? After marking her as our joint slave? At that moment I hated the demon world more than I ever had before, and I tried to hold back the bile as it rose up my throat.

I sat again and hugged my knees, watching as Newt chanted and motioned over the girl, until the blue mist vanished.

Our mysterious foundling took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.


	67. A Rude Awakening

**In Which Evie, Rachel, and Newt Find Hope**

It wasn't the dreadful, violent awakening I'd been expecting. The girl blinked at us with bemused confusion, as if this were all some sort of funny dream that she'd soon wake from and share with her girlfriends over a sundae. "Hello…?" she said, in a voice that didn't demand an explanation so much as challenge it to live up to her expectations. I found myself smiling the smile I used on students as an alternative to slapping them silly.

"Hi. Um…do you remember anything from last night?" Rachel asked.

She thought a moment, eyes going distant as she tried. "I was working late…Aiden said he'd call, and I didn't have my cel…left it in the lab…" She tilted her head and trailed off, looking down and seeing the mess she was. "What the fuck?" she said suddenly. "Where am I? What happened? Was there an earthquake or something?"

Newt was sitting cross-legged, having made herself resemble a young woman too, with a dark complexion and a full head of gorgeous tight black curls. Amazingly, she'd managed to get her eyes looking somewhat normal- black, yes, but the whites were white again. She'd even gone for modern clothing, a simple black t-shirt and jeans. Only the reek of burnt amber gave her away as a demon, though one could easily say that Rachel and I stank of it nearly as much as Newt did. Newt left the talking to us, having done her part and now sitting back to enjoy the show.

"No, not exactly," Rachel said. "Look, this is going to be kind of complicated, so let's just introduce ourselves. I'm Rachel, this is Evie, and this is…um…Newt."

"Newt?" the girl asked, all skeptical amusement. "Like in _eye of newt and toe of frog_?"

Rachel winced, but Newt just humphed. "Gosh," she said without inflection. "Never heard that one before. A literary girl, how nice."

The girl stared warily at Newt for a moment, uncertain who was mocking whom here, then let it go. "Hope," she said. "Hope Hazelton. So…where the hell are we?"

"Cincinnati," I said.

"You pulling my leg!" Hope demanded.

"You're lucky to be anywhere," Rachel said. "Do you have family we can contact? Friends who are looking for you?"

"Duh," the girl said, then paused. "Of course I do. I should. Don't I?" For the first time, she began to look distressed. "Wait a minute. I don't remember. Why don't I remember? Everyone's got a fucking family, why can't I remember?" Her wide eyes searched our faces for something, anything, familiar that she could latch on to.

I saw rather than heard Newt's sigh, but she still said nothing. "Amnesia," I supplied. It was close enough to the truth, anyway. "You were out for awhile. Part of that long story. We've got questions for you, too."

But Hope was still suffering the rising panic of the realization that part of her had been lost, perhaps forever, taking some of her experiences and memories with it. "Take me back!" she demanded. "What the hell, did you guys knock me out with chloroform and kidnap me or something?"

"No, we didn't. In fact, Newt here just saved your life." _And you're going to pay for it in the ass_, I added with silent regret, but there was no need to inform Hope of her sudden career change just yet.

Hope wavered, the lure of a big dramatic freakout strong. She tried to sit up and suddenly looked terribly queasy. I recognized the aftereffects of having your soul not quite reconnected to your body as her limbs moved numbly, uncoordinated. Hope's eyes widened with panic. "What's wrong with me? What happened?"

Again Rachel and I shared a look, while Newt just smirked. "Oh, God…where do we begin?" I asked.

Newt leaned forward, still grinning wickedly. "How about with the truth?" she asked innocently.

"How about seeing what she already knows first?" Rachel snapped quickly, before Newt could continue. Newt was in a fine mood, and simply shrugged, giving us the floor again. "Hope, do you have Rosewood syndrome?"

Hope's eyes widened. "Huh? How did you know?" She looked suddenly terrified. "It's supposed to be a secret! You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"No, don't worry," Rachel said quickly. "We're all the same way. Do you know anyone else who's survived it?"

The girl shook her head. "Just me. It was an experimental treatment. They said I was the only kid who made it. You guys had it too? They never told me!" She shivered. "What the hell, is this some kind of weird conspiracy or something?"

Newt chuckled. "Sounds like one," she agreed. I suppressed the urge to glare at her. She was _not_ helping.

"Do you know anyone named Zee? Or Zaebos?" I asked.

"What the fuck?" Hope exploded. "Who the fuck _are_ you people? How do you know so much about me when I've never seen any of you in my life?" She patted her dusty pockets frantically. "Where the hell is my cel phone? I need to call Aiden!"

"Who's Aiden?" Rachel asked.

"Why don't_ you_ tell _me_!" Hope snapped furiously. "You fucking know everything _else_ about me!" Her movements were starting to regain coordination, and she struggled to sit up. She still couldn't stand, not that she had anywhere to go.

"Is Aiden your boyfriend?" I asked, and got a horrified look.

"_God_, no! He's my boss. Sort of. He used to be my doctor. But I work for him." She flipped a bit of stringy black hair from her face. "I have to call him. I have to tell him…" She paused, looking confused. "I had to tell him something." She looked about as if she'd dropped something. "It was really, really important." He wide eyes darted from one face to another, lost. "What was it?" Hope began to shiver again as she discovered another hole in her memory, and began to pat her pockets again. "Shit! Where are my fucking meds? God, this is, like, seriously _fucked up_!"

The girl had a potty-mouth on her, no doubt about it. Of course, who was I to complain? I could also see that Newt was starting to get impatient with the progress of the conversation. Heh. Who was_ she _to complain? Still, she didn't seem eager to hop back into the Ever After, not when there was a lovely, clear, sunny day to be enjoyed. "Oh, kid," I said with a sigh. "You don't know the half of it."

I was favored with a disgusted look. "You're calling me a kid? You're like, what, a year older than me?"

"I'm fifty-three," I replied. "And Newt here is…well…"

"Lost track," she said, shrugging.

"Older than me," I continued. "Look, Hope, we really need you to tell us who you are and what's going on with you and Zee. Do you know what Zee is? And who's this Aiden guy?"

"It's really, really important," Rachel said.

"I'm not saying anything else unless you tell me what the _hell_ is going on!" Hope demanded.

Newt lost her patience. "You played with fire, little girl. You lost yourself in the lines. I had to fix you. So now you belong to me."

"Knock it off, Newt," I said irritably. "This is hardly going to make her more willing to talk to us!"

"Oh, she'll talk," Newt said ominously, and Rachel shifted, putting herself in front of Hope.

"You promised, no abuse," Rachel said.

"Did I? Oh, that's right. She's _yours_, too." Newt hadn't forgotten; she was just enjoying the effect it had on the frightened girl.

_Shit. Yeah, this is going really well._ I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Newt had apparently decided that the time for coddling was past, so might as well get it out there. "Look, kid, you're up shit creek. You're going to have to come with us, because there's a boatload of people who will want to kill you after last night. And because of what you are."

Hope just stared at me, face slack with irritated incomprehension. "Huh?"

"Do you remember anything else from last night? Weird feelings, strange reactions to magic in the lines…?"

Hope was shaking her head, but it was in denial of my words rather than an answer to my question. "I need to call Aiden," she said plaintively.

"Hope, you _can't_." Rachel was still trying to be as gentle as possible. "You _died _last night, honey. If people find out you're still alive, they'll kill you."

"This is fucking crazy. Take me home!"

"If you insist…" Newt said, delighted…and then her face fell. "Fuck."

I hastily hid a smile- Newt had forgotten where "home" was, or we'd all be there right now. _It's not funny. It's not funny, damn it!_ But I found I was agreeing with her on one point, at least. "This is pointless- she's not going to believe us unless we prove it. "

Rachel nodded reluctantly. "Though it's not like there's a better place to go," she said. "I really don't like the idea of letting any of the guys around her."

"_Excuse _me!" Hope was looking pissed. "I am still _sitting_ right _here_!" She huffed as we ignored her.

"The mall, maybe?" I suggested. "We know how to get there without having to go line-jumping, at least."

"Pfft! Like Trent will let us back into his house with_ these_ two!" Rachel said with a humorless laugh.

"Good point."

"HEY!" Hope had discovered the new triple-circle tattoo on her arm, and was looking livid. "What is this?"

_Ooooh, boy._ "They're demon marks, kid," I said.

Hope's jaw dropped. Her horrified gaze went from me to the mark, then to the older mark on her other bicep. "You're shitting me. No way!"

"Yes way," Newt said, still grinning.

"This one...this one too?" Hope said, voice high with panic as she indicated Zee's mark.

"I'm afraid so. Didn't you know?"

"A _demon mark_?" Her panic wasn't faked as she rubbed at her arms, trying to clean herself of a taint that went aura-deep.

"Yeah. Demons, Hope. Newt here is a demon. She saved your life, so you owe her a hell of a favor. That's why you have her mark on you. Since she marked you without making a deal first, you can still refuse to owe her- but you'll die." I ignored Hope's terrified stare. "You have Zee's mark on you, too. What deal did you make with him?"

"With…with Zee? I don't understand!"

"That's Zee's mark. It means you owe him. You must have agreed to _something_…what was it?"

Hope shook her head. "I've always had that little scar. I don't know what you mean!" she wailed plaintively. "This has to be a fucking nightmare." She glanced down at herself again, covered in dust and blood, and hugged herself. I felt her tap a line.

"Hope," I said warningly, and when she didn't stop, I took off one of my bracelets and jammed the silver onto her wrist. Better she be pissed at me than start raging at whatever Newt would have done- Newt would be far less gentle.

"You _bitch_!" she snapped, as her _chi_ emptied with a fizzle. She tugged at the band, and realized it wouldn't come off. "You fucking _bitch_! Get this off!"

I'd been yelled at by dozens of co-eds over the years, and it didn't phase me in the least. "As we said, kid, you're in really big trouble. Long story short: you're not a witch. You're a demon, like us. And if they can, the Coven will kill you to silence you, and the elves will kill you because they hate demons. You went ballistic last night because your demon instincts were triggered by something. You caused a shitload of damage- brought down a whole building. Newt saved your life by fishing your soul out of the lines. Now you can come with us, or you can die. There's really no other choice for you right now."

"Where there's life, there's hope," Rachel said urgently. "We can keep you out of Zee's hands, if you'll trust us. Believe me, you don't want to belong to him."

"We all marked you," I told her. "Newt's the only one with the real claim on you, since she saved your life. But if you will trust us, and accept our marks in exchange for protection, we can help you. If not…?"

Newt smiled a grim smile. "You can go to Zee, if you want. But I'll probably kill you both. Having _another_ fucking fledgling escape me will put me in a very shitty mood."

Hope continued to gape, hunched in on herself and hugging her knees. "This is sooo not happening," she said.

"We can prove it," Rachel said. "We can prove everything we've said. And look- Evie and I both have marks. It's not the end of the world." She showed Hope her wrist, and I obligingly shoved my collar down to show mine, too. "Evie and I were raised as witches. The marks are a formality. We won't screw you over."

"And her?" Hope asked, pointing at Newt.

All of us looked at Newt, who shrugged. "No abuse," she said. "Apart from that? No promises."


	68. Demons in the Garden

_Life got crazy again! But it's a wonderful semester. I love my students and today we're playing with crayfish! (I love science.) That and we're moving...so house-hunting has taken up free time. Anyway, enough excuses...the next section is almost done, too, so thanks for bein' patient!  
_

**I****n Which Evie Checks In, ****Dali Checks Up, ****and Newt Checks Out  
**

Hope had pretty much clammed up after that. The angry, frightened girl was on the verge of throwing a tantrum, and there would be no reasoning with her until she'd calmed down. Rachel had taken her for a walk to vent, leaving me with the very smug, satisfied Newt. I wasn't sure which of us had the more pleasant companion.

"You got a kick out of that, didn't you?" I said, irritated, as we slowly meandered onto a small grassy area by a fountain. The warm sun was only partially shaded by trees, dappled patterns chasing each other over the greenery with every breeze. For some reason, I really wasn't worried about Newt going psycho or AWOL at the moment. She was just in too good a mood, and it was just too nice and peaceful a day.

She grinned as she sat on the grass. "Yes." I was about to roll my eyes, but something in her face made me pause. It was a real grin, eye-crinkles and all. She looked mischievous, like this whole day was one huge practical joke that she'd arranged. She looked, for lack of a more complicated and devious word...happy.

"You up for this?" I asked. "As far as I could tell, she doesn't have any training at all beyond the basics."

"I've trained hundreds," she said. "Why are you so worried about her fate?"

"Newt, you're nuts," I said bluntly. "And I haven't met a demon yet who'd dare to even look at you funny."

"Males," she said scathingly. "I meant, what is she to you?"

"Does she have to be anything to me? You know that Rachel and I are just softies who don't want to see her hurt-"

"Are you?"

"-and God knows she's in for a seriously traumatic time just finding out her life's over...I know what that feels like. And to have to work around a damaged soul on top of everything? Only you know how rough that must be. Do you seriously have no compassion left anywhere inside you?"

"No," she said, just as bluntly. "I don't. Which is why I agreed to let you two mark her. I'm not an idiot." I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't. She just stretched full out on her back, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes to enjoy the breeze. It really was a lovely day, and there couldn't have been a more beautiful place anywhere on earth than the Kalamack gardens.

"We should call Dali, I guess," I said, and Newt didn't even open her eyes.

"Shush. Don't spoil it," she said mildly. I couldn't help smiling.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a fan either. I'll do it." I looked around for something to write with or on, and something sharp jabbed my elbow. Newt was extending her little knife, face still peaceful. I carved the curse into the hard-packed dirt beside the fountain and invoked it.

_Well...?_

_We found her. She's here with us._

_Seriously? What the hell is she doing over there?_

I was still irritated with Dali and didn't feel like drawing this out any longer. _Ask her yourself when we get back. _

_And when will that be?_

_Well, since she doesn't know where to go, and neither Rachel nor I can jump, it'll be awhile._

_Ask her if she wants me to summon her back right now._

I relayed this request to Newt. She simply smiled toothily. "Ask him if he would enjoy eating his own liver again."

Again? I winced. I_ think that's a big "no," Dali. She's enjoying the sun. I'll call you if she kills us and runs off again._

_Don't get cocky. I'll send someone for you as soon as the sun goes down. _ He disconnected abruptly again.

"You're welcome, asshole," I muttered. I contacted Ash next, and filled him in on the situation. As with Dali, I left out the bit about Hope. I wasn't sure why, only that it felt like this whole situation wasn't quite resolved, yet. And I was still too ashamed of my role in it to face it head on, just yet.

_Let me get this straight. All of our remaining females are currently hanging out together, unprotected, in the gardens of the most powerful remaining family of the same ancient enemies who cursed our females in the first place...? The morning after a demon killed off eleven of their nobles?_

_Yup. They're pretty nice._

_The elves?_

_Well, I meant the gardens, but the elves are being pretty nice, too. They didn't even shoot us. _

I wished I could see the incredulous look on his face. I smirked, feeling unbearably self-satisfied. The greatest enemy of immortality was boredom, was it...? He wanted interesting things to happen, did he? Hee hee hee. He'd rue the day he said that...

_May I at least ask how you got out of the Ever After?_

_Sure._

He waited, but I didn't elaborate. _Well...?_

_What? You asked if you could ask. Doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you. _ What the hell, I was already in deep shit with him, why not have a little fun while I could?

_Evie! _ His exasperation was wonderful. I reveled in knowing that I could make him at even half as frustrated as he could make me. Enjoying this wasn't demonic, was it? I grinned. Nah. Otherwise there were billions of younger siblings who were headed straight to Hell.

_Did you ever find your missing human? Rachel and I have a sneaking suspicion he's working with Al's familiar._

_No, and I guessed as much. _

_You taught Nick how to hide himself from the other demons who'd marked him, didn't you? So you could sneak your third mark in there first? _Ash's mental groan of annoyance was all the confirmation I needed. _And then he taught Pierce. Al's going to have your entrails for Solstice garlands. Devi will probably want your-_

_All right, very funny. What do you want?_

_Huh?_

_What do you want in exchange for not telling them?_

_What? Why would I tell them? If they can hide themselves from you guys, more power to them! _I laughed again as Ash swore at me. _What, did you think I was on _your _side in this?_

_If you have any idea where they're hiding-_

_I don't, but I wouldn't tell you if I did. Don't worry, Rachel says that Nick can't jump the lines with Pierce, because Pierce isn't good enough to bring someone with him, especially now that Rachel's gargoyle is bonded to her. Unless you sold the little bastard a line-jumping curse?_

_No... _He paused, then reluctantly admitted,_ but Devi did._

I winced. _Oooh, Al's going to string you both up, then._

_It was _Al's familiar_ who let the human go in the first place! _

_Well, you're in a fine pickle, then, aren't you? _ I wasn't even trying to be sympathetic, and didn't bother to hide my amusement. _Gosh, if Newt found out about all this, she'd probably be really annoyed._

_Evie, don't you dare._

_It's such fun to make you squirm. But you can relax. Newt's in a good mood and I really, _really_ don't want to give her any reason to be pissed off. Besides, if you and Devi and Al end up getting all cozy as cellmates, I think I'd be jealous. If anyone's going to screw you over, it'll be me._

Ash's thoughts went from black and red anger to gold and smouldery in a heartbeat, as he realized I'd only been playing with him. Appreciation, arousal, and anticipation welled up together in his mind, as he made a wordless vow of vengeance, the kind that would involve me being very sore indeed when I got back.

_Bring it on, _I thought back, and flashed him a very naughty mental image indeed before breaking my connection. Perhaps it was a little forward for me, but I was still, even now, riding a bit of the high from the previous night. Part of me was really looking forward to seeing him again. Part of me- the cynical, logical part- was wondering if this were simple biological infatuation, or was demon venom somehow addictive? Heh, wouldn't that just be my luck.

An odd, but familiar, sound made me look up in alarm. I was astonished to see that Newt had apparently fallen asleep, and the sound really had been...yes...Newt was snoring. I just stared at her, mouth open. Here she was, in reality, in the garden of the enemy, in the very presence of another demon woman she barely knew, and she'd...just passed right out. Part of me was a little flattered- couldn't it be considered a compliment, that she had enough trust to let her guard down? Or perhaps I should be insulted that she didn't consider me any kind of threat.

Still, she'd probably freak out when she woke up. Whether she trusted me or not, I sure as hell wasn't going to leave her side! She probably knew that much, at least.

In the distance, I saw Rachel speaking with Quen. I was thankful that he had the very good sense not to come anywhere near Newt, and that he'd ordered the garden cleared of tourists, gawkers and irritating billionaires. We remained undisturbed. I listened to the contented noises of the demon beside me, and the relaxing gurgle of the fountain behind me. I finally had a moment alone to think, and I found I didn't want to. There were too many horrible things to contemplate and try to work through, and this...just didn't seem like the setting. So I let my mind go blank instead, filling myself with the previously under-appreciated scents and sensations of a warm, perfect summer day.

Yeah, that was a mistake...


	69. Evie Sees Red

_I think Newt is my new favorite character to write. I'm curious how this will bite Evie in the ass. 'Cause you just know it will, sooner or later... ;) _

_And to answer a reviewer question: nope, none of this was inspired by Pale Demon spoilers...I came up with the elven weave/ singing thing back in November 2010 (remember Shane?), before I read the excerpts posted at Kim's blog, and was pretty floored and flattered to learn that I'd interpreted the vague hints in previous books correctly! :) I had in mind that elven magic would be more nature-oriented, less dependent on ley lines, then thought, hell, they're like big spiders- they weave a web around you and it's so beautiful that you don't even realize you're caught until it's too late. *evil grin* And here is my other prediction: that both elves and demons have original forms that weren't humanlike at all. But that they've tinkered so much with magic and genetics that they are all born looking humanoid, and have been so for the last 10,000 years or so (when humans started being magically useful, and looking human made it easier to interact with them). So the concept of what they "really look like" is rather obsolete. They look like what they want to look like._

_God, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on that book. Next Tuesday I will be hiding in a coffeeshop somewhere devouring espressos and Pale Demon.  
_

**In Which Those Silver Bracelets Continue to Come In Handy  
**

My mind wandered for awhile, then, despite my resolve to not think grim thoughts, meandered over to the events of the previous weeks anyway. They filed past, one after another, and came with all sorts of odd opinions. And not very flattering ones, at that. It was when I realized that most of these opinions were in Latin that I sat up and shook my head. _What the hell_...? But I'd let my guard down and the damage was done. _Newt! Get the hell out of my head! _

_I saw an opportunity, I took it,_ she replied, unrepentant. _I want one of your memories._

_You can't have it! Knock it off! _I tried to remember how Rachel had repelled Newt from her head before.

_Not to _keep_, you idiot. And you can give up that line of thought right now...Rachel caught me by surprise, on holy ground. It'll never happen again. I just want to see what happened last time we met. _

_You could just _ask_, you know._

_And you would just lie to me again. Don't deny it. Everyone lies to me. _

"I wouldn't have to lie if you didn't scare the daylights out of me. Get out!" She continued to root through my memories, cursing as I threw up random scenes from my childhood to distract her. I scowled at her physical form, lying there so innocently, and gave her a poke in the side, hard enough to tickle. I didn't dare actually_ strike_ her. She just laughed maliciously inside my skull. Oh, now it was _on! _Before I could think about it too hard, even to consider the consequences—

_Don't you dar—_

- I slipped the other bracelet off my wrist and onto hers.

Ha! It worked. Newt's presence vanished from my mind as she jerked, blinked, and sat up, scowling at her wrist. She swore and easily slid it off again as I slammed up a protective circle around my thoughts. "Clever," she said grudgingly.

"Have a nice nap?"

"I ought to gut you."

"Or you could just, you know, ask nicely," I suggested. "Why do you want to know?"

"All I remember is that I have something you want, and that I tried to deal with you and I came away surprised. So I distrust your motives. Not Rachel's. She puts on the tough-girl act, but Rachel's so transparent it's a wonder she doesn't shatter like glass. Not you. You look fragile and your mind is nearly as brittle as mine, but you've proven yourself as devious as any of us. I don't trust you."

I was rather floored, and oddly flattered. "Do you _have_ to trust me for this all to work?"

"I want her as my familiar." I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised a hand. "Hear me out. I want to establish the mutual bond that you share with Ashmedai. It requires Hope's trust and her permission to be properly established. And it will require wresting her completely from Zee's power, which I can do if I have three marks. Thin as your claims are, they'll hold up in court when you sell your marks to me."

I winced. "I'm uncomfortable enough with the idea of having any kind of ownership to begin with, let alone selling it-"

"You're thinking about it the wrong way," she said. "Instead of ownership, think of it as guardianship. You saw someone in need of a guardian and you offered your services. She can accept or deny them as she pleases, yes? If she gives you permission, what's the objection?"

Like transferring power of attorney…? I bit my lip. No, that was still way too easy and seductive. I knew there still had to be far more to it than that. Besides, it's not like it would take a lot of persuasion to get a young, ignorant girl to make any number of idiotic decisions, including permission to make Crazy Aunt Newt her legal guardian. "If that's what you wanted, why not just mark her with three marks here and now? Don't you make all the rules?"

Newt gave me an irate look. "Don't be daft. I'm fucking powerful, but it's not like I could take on the entire Ever After if they all put their mind to wiping me out. Though I suppose I could probably wipe the place off the supernatural map if I wanted, so I guess they have a right to be nervous."

"But they still defer to you…why?"

"For now. How much longer?" She glared at me angrily. "Over five thousand years, and suddenly there are four new demons in the span of a few decades? Why now? What's changed?"

"The Turn…?" I suggested, though I had been born well before the Turn myself. _And _she hadn't answered my question, I noticed.

"Maybe." She paused, eyes scanning some broken inner landscape rather than the gardens around us. "Maybe not." I suddenly felt rather paranoid myself, then reminded myself that this was _Newt_ talking here. Newt, who had once wiped out a village and every living thing in a three-mile radius around it, simply because someone'd made the mistake of summoning her familiar. She'd killed the familiar, too, Ash had told me gleefully. Why? Because he'd dared to give out his name to anyone but her, and he had her aura. Sheesh. All she needed was the tinfoil hat, really.

"About the girl? Hope?" I reminded her, wanting to get off this subject. Newt blinked, brow furrowing as she tried to remember what she'd had to say. "Why didn't you just mark her with three marks right here?"

Newt shrugged. "This was better. I steal her now, and the three of you can challenge me in court. I work _with_ you, and the three of _us_ can beat Zee." She squinted at me measuringly. "What memory was I just looking for?"

"Newt, I can't sell a mark to you. Dress it up however you want, it's still me selling or trading someone's life-"

"Soul," Newt interrupted. She was looking frustrated, but still reasonable, and I wondered how much further I could push my luck.

"Life, soul, same thing, right?"

"Not even remotely," she said, smirking.

"Whatever. I have to draw the line somewhere, and I've drawn it. I won't trade one soul for another, ever. You said she'll be safe if we ally in court to take her from Zee. Surely we can do that without turning her over to you."

Newt snapped her fingers, a blatant "aha!" motion. "I have souls you want...yes, I remember now. I want that memory- from your point of view."

I'd be damned if I'd willingly let this woman into my head again, but she didn't give me a choice. I realized she'd simply kept me chatting until I mentioned what she wanted to know, to get it fresh in the forefront of my mind. Then she simply reached out, touched my forehead, slipped into my mind, and took it. The whole thing took less than two seconds.

"Damn it, Newt!" I sputtered, scooting back out of her reach, but it was far too late. She'd plowed through my mind's protective circle like a hawk through tissue paper. Newt ignored me and sat back, contemplating what she'd seen. I glared at her, mentally reorganizing the bookshelves she'd just pawed through. "How am I supposed to trust you if you keep doing shit like that?"

Her black eyes refocused and bore into me as she favored me with a raised eyebrow. "You want a memory of mine, in return...?" she asked ominously. "I can arrange that...I have lots I don't want."

I felt my stomach drop. Find out why Newt took forget potions? "Hell, no."

"Then quit bitching and let me think." She reclined again and closed her eyes.

I just stared at her, feeling incredulous, speechless, and not a little frightened at her sheer strength of will. She could easily have mangled my head with a single thought, and there wasn't a damned thing I could have done to stop her! And she wanted me to just hand over a frightened, damaged girl into her tender care? Not a chance.

I saw Rachel approaching with Hope, still a half-mile or so away from the expanse of grass on which we sat. "Rachel's coming back," I said bitterly, still sore at Newt's theft. "I'd love to hear how you plan to convince her to help you. She's even less likely to sell you a soul than I am."

"All in good time," Newt said serenely. "I understand now. After watching you humiliate him in court, it was the one possibility I never would have considered. Go figure. Why are you keeping him, you with your high and mighty ideals about slavery and ownership? Why did you mark him? Are you in love with the bastard?

I blinked. Yup, she'd gotten what she wanted. I could look forward to more threats against the souls of my friends now, couldn't I? Yay. Still, the suddenness of her question made me pause. "I...I don't know. I don't think so. Maybe?" Hell, I didn't have an honest answer even for myself, let alone Newt. "I'm still sort of figuring it all out. You probably wouldn't believe that my mark on him was an accident, and all his idea?"

Newt snorted. "Nah, I'd believe it. That's just like him. He's an idiot. Why are you still protecting him?"

"Because..." Damn it, I did not want to think about this, not right now. "I saw an opportunity, and I took it," I said finally. "He left himself open. It was the only option I could see that didn't leave me somebody's toy. And now that he's mine..." I felt my brow furrow as I tried to put it into words. "I claimed him, he's my responsibility. I take care of what's mine. And Hope's mine, now, too. I accepted that responsibility when I marked her."

Newt scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Damn. I don't even_ remember_ ever being as stupid and innocent as you are." She shrugged. "But then, I don't remember a lot of shit." I bristled at her assessment, but didn't protest. For all I knew, she was right. I tensed, however, as she reached into the air and produced a very familiar vial.

Oh, shit. Red's captured soul swirled sluggishly within. His soul, not his life? What was the difference? I knew my face had gone pale, felt the nausea rising. "Newt, _please_ don't try this again. I was bluffing about not caring, I admit it. But I'm still not swapping Hope or anyone else for Red."

"I'm not offering a swap," Newt said. She handed me the vial. "I'm paying you back."

"I..." I held it, mouth agape, my mind having screeched to a halt with an almost audible _brriiiiiiiiip_. "For what?"

"The memory. I stole it." She leaned back, eying me with an innocent expression, enjoying my bafflement.

"But…surely it wasn't worth a _soul_?"

"I can take it back," she offered, grinning maliciously.

"Wait!" I found my fingers curling protectively around the precious vial. _No!_

Newt cackled. "So you won't buy, sell, or trade, but you'll accept one as a bribe…? Good to know."

I wanted to smack my head on something, because it probably would be seen as a bribe by anyone who mattered, but there was no way on Earth I'd give Red back into her care now that I had him. "You know what? Fuck you, Newt."

She _tsk'd_, smiling hugely. "I think," she said, looking me over with another measuring gaze, "there's hope for you yet."

"I am not even going to ask what you mean by that," I said sullenly. Instead I gazed at the soul in the bottle. Holy shit. I was now the dubious owner of a soul in a bottle. An actual fucking immortal _soul_! In a _bottle!_ Could Red see me? Was he somehow looking back? Did he even know I had it? What was I supposed to do with a soul in a bottle?

Newt laughed at my expression, eyes once again crinkling with evident mischief. If I didn't know how creepy and deranged she was, I almost could have liked her at that moment.

"So," I said, as Rachel and Hope came within hearing distance. "Um….what exactly does one _do _with a soul in a bottle?"


	70. A Foundling Lost

_Wow, wow, wow….I have finished Pale Demon and there were some seriously beautiful, poignant scenes in there. And some seriously hot scenes, too! But in the interest of not spoiling PD for those who haven't had the chance to read it yet, I'm going to continue writing this story as if the events of PD mostly didn't happen, or happened at another time, or will happen in the next few weeks. _

**In Which Hope is Lost **

Hope's face was serene as she approached us, though Rachel looked extremely troubled. "We're back," she announced unnecessarily.

"Hi," Hope said. "You look familiar…have we met?"

Newt and I shared a look. Swell…anterograde amnesia? Was it permanent? "It comes and goes," she said, though I hadn't spoken. "It gets a little better with time."

Rachel sat down heavily, eyes downcast. "We found the stables and she got distracted."

"I love horses," Hope said, with the worshipful tone of voice of a city girl who'd never mucked out a stable or gotten her hands slimed while inserting a bit. "Where did you say we were again, Rhonda?"

"Kalamack Gardens," Rachel replied, with the tired patient tone of an impatient woman who had patiently answered this question eight dozen times before and was about to gnaw off her own arm. "And I'm Rachel. This is Newt, and this is Evie."

Hope smiled. "Nice to see you again," she said automatically, though her eyes were looking a little troubled. Her conscious memory may have forgotten us, but we could see the shadow of the subconscious emotional turmoil beginning to darken her eyes.

Part of my guilty conscience eased, as another tightened up. I shouldn't feel relieved that she didn't remember our previous conversation! It was horrifying to think that she'd have to endure the discoveries again, perhaps hundreds of times, before they sank in. IF they ever sank in. I eyed Newt again, wondering just how patient she was. Newt was also looking at Hope, face grim. Perhaps she was also realizing what a monumental task was before her.

"When we become familiars," she said, "it will get better. She won't forget so easily." Her voice lacked confidence.

"Did we do the right thing…?" Rachel asked me quietly, as Hope gave Newt a blank look, then returned to combing her fingers through the grass absently.

"God, I hope so," I replied, heartsick.

Rachel's eyes went to the vial in my hands, widening in surprise and then stunned shock. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, glancing at the bottle. I'd been clutching it tightly in both hands, cradling it like an infant to my chest. "It's one of the four, um, issues that I originally contacted Al about."

She glanced between me and the bottle, then looked suspiciously at Newt. "Where'd you get it?" she asked, though of course she'd already guessed the answer.

"Newt had it. She just gave it to me."

"Free of charge," Newt added, far too jauntily.

"For a memory," I clarified, "and it was her idea, not mine."

"Uh-huuuuh," Rachel said skeptically. But she said no more, unwilling to get Hope upset again. "So, how long until sunset? Quen and Trent are getting antsy for us to get the hell out of their garden."

"We could always ask them to banish us, or something," I suggested.

Rachel crinkled her nose at the thought. "Do you think that would work on us?"

Newt made a very unladylike snort. "You'd let an elf circle you?" she asked. "Here's a hint: I won't."

Hope had given us an odd look when circles and elves were mentioned. "OK, like, what the hell are you all talking about?" asked Hope, folding her arms. "And why the hell am I all dusty?"

Rachel and I both looked at Newt for guidance. But Newt just stared at Hope, unable to hide her distress and clearly at just as much of a loss as to how to proceed. The silence stretched taut and began to creak.

"And where am I?" Hope added, looking around. "Do any of you know Aiden? I really need to call him and let him know…" Her brow furrowed again. "What was it? I had something so important to tell him…"

I suppressed a groan as once again, the confused girl grew agitated upon discovering the holes in her memory. As Rachel tried to calm the girl and told her of her amnesia, I asked Newt softly, "Will she ever get these particular lost memories back?"

"No," Newt said. "Whoever put her back together….they didn't get it all." She dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap, but her gaze was suddenly livid as she stared into her own soul's darkness. "Make more memories, that's all she can do. Did _you_ do this?" she demanded of me suddenly, turning her livid black, pupilless gaze onto me. We all jumped at her sudden harsh voice, and I blanched.

"No!"

"Um, Newt… don't you remember?" Rachel asked gently. "You did it."

"Couldn't have," Newt scoffed. "Even I'm not_ that_ heartless." But again, there was little conviction in her voice. She was looking sick.

Rachel had her face buried in her palm. "Oh,_ crap_ on_ toast_," she said simply. Yep, that about summed it up, didn't it?

Hope stomped off toward the fountain, clearly having had enough of our incomprehensible discussion. She sat on the stone edge with an air of wounded dignity, arms folded and glaring at us all balefully.

"Newt, if there's anything we can do to make this easier, you'll tell us, right?" I asked tentatively, hoping she wouldn't be insulted.

"We already discussed this. I need all the marks."

"I meant…if you need any help. A break. You know?"

Newt gave me a look that I couldn't interpret. Suspicious, yes, but perhaps there was a hint of desperation in there as well. "Why…?" she asked.

"Frankly, you could both use someone with a working memory. Do you have anyone at home to help out?"

Newt looked even more ill. "Minias," she said, eyes darkening. I'd never met the guy, but Newt obviously trusted him around Hope about as much as she'd trust a crocodile with a baby bunny.

"You killed Minias," Rachel reminded her, and Newt grimaced.

"Did I? Damn it!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I really wish I hadn't done that. Now it's Nubby. Nebiros. I remember now. Useless little shit." She sighed, then eyed me craftily. "Are you sure I can't convince either of _you_ to move in with _me_?" she asked.

Rachel and I had simultaneous answers. "No!"

"Think of the advantages. You could keep an eye on the little foundling, make certain she's well cared for, well fed. You wouldn't have to stay with Ash. We could have our own little school, just the three of us. Of course you're welcome too, Rachel, but I know you still have a place under the sun. I have plenty of spare rooms. Just say the word, I'll have Minias fix one up for you."

"Nebiros?" Rachel reminded her.

"Whoever," Newt said, though she couldn't completely hide the little pang. If I didn't know better, I'd say she missed him.

"I'm happy where I am," I said firmly. "But I'll visit whenever you want. If you need anything. And if I'm not recovering. I'm about to get serious about my own training, and if it's as bad as everyone makes it sound-"

"Oh, it is," she said coyly, and her grin had far too many teeth in it. "Especially since you already have so many bad habits I'll have to break you of."

I felt myself pale. "Newt, you're not training me- you know that, right?"

Newt shrugged. "You'll have to come to me eventually, girl. Let's hope Ash doesn't bungle it so completely that I'll have to take you all apart and put you back together again." Her glee at the prospect unnerved me. _Oh, God, I hope Al knows what the hell he's doing..._ "I think your elf friend wants a word." She pointed at Quen, who was trying to get Rachel's attention.

Rachel hurried over. We watched her begin gesticulating wildly. Her "WHAT? You've got to be kidding me!" came through loud and clear. "Tell the little cookie-maker that if he thinks we're going to just turn her over to him, he's out of his gourd!" Pause. "I don't fucking care if it makes his precious Ellasbeth unhappy, that's just tough!"

"Uh oh." Quen's air of _sorry, have to do my job, _was getting more ominous by the second. "I think we might have just worn out our welcome." I gave a sidelong glance at Hope, who had bent to run her hands through the water and been completely distracted by Trent's beautiful koi. She had forgotten all about us.

"Does you have _any idea_ who that is, sitting over there?" Rachel said furiously. "No. If you try it, you'll all die, and there's not a damn thing I could do to prevent it. Please, Quen, don't try it. Just let us go."

Newt's smile was frightening. She hadn't moved a muscle as she listened, but there was a slow, heavy gathering of power seeping into her, a promise of violence that would reduce this garden to a pile of steaming mulch.

"Don't." I knew how little chance I had of convincing her if Trent's flunkies decided to act. "Please? We won't let them take Hope."

At the sound of her name, the girl looked up. "What's up?" she asked, then stopped, looking lost. "Where am I?" she asked, her darting glance alighting on unfamiliar surroundings here and there like a butterfly. "How did I get here? And where's Aiden? I have to talk to him."

"Newt, do you remember how to get home? Can you contact Nebiros?"

Newt blinked. "Nubby? Oh. Right." Her voice had a _well, duh,_ inflection, more directed at herself. Had she been trying to home in on Minias, before? She closed her eyes, then placed her hand on the glyph I'd carved into the dirt. "I guess just leaving would be easier. I don't really feel like starting a war today." A few moments later, she lifted her hand and held it out to Hope. "Come here, child."

Hope approached. I had a sudden wild urge to fling myself in front of her, Newt's wrath be damned. I reminded myself that Hope wore my mark, to try to save her from Zee, from the families of the elves she'd killed, and even from Newt's sole ownership with what little protection I could give her. Newt had saved her life. Newt claimed it now. I had to let it happen. But still…I almost snapped and broke the deal, when I saw the girl ambling over, eyes bright with a fear that was entirely misdirected. She had no idea what was about to happen.

"Let me take you home," Newt said gently, and Hope stared at her, wide-eyed. She nodded, and that sealed her fate. Newt reached out and clasped her hand, and they both vanished in a puff of burnt-amber scented smoke.

"Wait!" Rachel had spun around, pelting back toward where they'd been, but of course it was too late.

Belatedly I realized that Rachel and I had been left behind, in the gardens of the elves. And from Quen's stymied expression, it was evident that things were not at all well.

"You just let her go?" Rachel demanded angrily, flinging her hands to the side. "Just like that?"

I shrugged, helpless. "What was I supposed to do? How could I have stopped them?"

Rachel just stared at the ground where they'd been. "Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_! Evie…we're in serious trouble."


	71. The Cŵn Annwn

_Ever have one of those OMG, dude, epiphany moments? I had one while writing this chapter. Had to do it all over again, but mmmmmmm. Happy. _

**In Which Many Special Children are Discussed**

"So _we're_ in trouble because we let her get away?" I asked skeptically. "I fail to see how that is our fault."

"Doesn't matter. They know you were with her, and now she's gone, lost to the Ever After. They need someone to blame, and it's you." Trent was apologetic. "If I'd known anything about this before, I wouldn't have told them she was here."

"How fortunate for you that they can pin this on_ us_ instead of yourself," Rachel growled. "How much did you know about Hope, Trent?" She was shaking with rage, glaring at the man with a glare that could wilt a were, and Trent, though calm, was slowly flushing red under it.

"Only that she was another, uh, project." His beautiful voice was calm, but metaphorically loosening its collar.

"Project." Rachel's voice was cold. "A project like_ me_, you mean?" Trent didn't have to answer. Rachel might have had some choicer words to say about that, but Ceri had just sat herself beside him, serenely nursing her child and providing a far more effective shield against her rage than Quen, sitting on Trent's other side. The child was a bit old for nursing, I thought, but perhaps elves had different mores. Ceri was a thousand years old, after all. The kid was staring at Rachel with bright, interested eyes, making it impossible for her to use the words she wanted.

"The _elves_ fixed her?" I clarified. "She wasn't a fluke, like me?"

"My father gave them the protocol he used on Rachel and Lee. Part of the…" he trailed off, frowning. "Part of the arrangement with Ellasbeth, actually."

Rachel smirked. "Aw. You were engaged _that_ long ago? You were what…six?"

"Eight," Trent said, flushing still harder. "And the correct term is 'betrothed.'"

"All that time and she lets a little thing like her fiancé being arrested for murder stand in the way of your fairytale wedding?" Rachel asked sweetly. Ceri hid a bemused smile as Trent made a mild sound of irritation. Rachel began to pace beside the long conference table, kicking a chair for emphasis. "Did Hope even know?"

"And what does this have to do with Zee?" I asked suspiciously.

"Zee?" None of the elves appeared to recognize the name.

"Zaebos?" I prompted. "She has his mark. Says she always had it. It's an ownership mark, Trent. Zee marked her. Why?"

Ceri had flinched at the name. "Zaebos marked her? That's…odd. I've never heard of anyone summoning him. I've never heard of him marking anyone. He doesn't even have a familiar. He's…weird. Even for a_ demon_. He's a few feet under the surface."

I recognized the saying, common in the Ever After- it meant Zee was going insane. I shuddered. We'd traded one mad demon for another, apparently. "Why is he involved, then?"

Ceri shrugged, and Trent's face went stoic again. "I don't know for certain, but…I have a guess," he said. He shifted uncomfortably. "Ellasbeth is pregnant. She's been trying to conceive for nearly ten years. It's difficult for a nearly pure-blooded elf to carry to term, even with the recent genetic advancements."

Ceri held her child closer to her breast, gazing at her with an expression of fierce maternal pride and love. Quen, too, had a similar expression. But the nonsequitor caught Rachel and I off guard. "So? Good for her," Rachel said. "What does that have to do with—"

"Her parents were the ones who cured Hope,' Trent said. He let this sink in. "They're also the ones who have perfected the necessary in vitro fertilization procedures to allow Ellasbeth and other pure-blooded women to conceive at all. Until our trip to the Ever After three years ago, Rachel, we had no guarantee we'd survive beyond this generation."

"It was that bad?" I asked, and both Quen and Trent nodded.

"We hybridized with humans to boost our numbers, but we preserved a few bloodlines intact. With the Turn…" He didn't need to say how devastating the Turn had been, for humans and elves alike. "We had no guarantee. My father cured Rachel with the hope that she'd be able to help us, and she did. I always assumed that Hope was, well, a backup plan." He spread his hands. "I can't say that I'm proud of our motives, but you must understand that we were desperate. There's a reason I'm an only child- my mother had sixteen miscarriages before I was born."

"_Sixteen_." I tried to imagine it, and failed. How devastating. "God."

Rachel had stopped pacing, but given that she herself was an elven experiment, she had less sympathy. "So?" she asked again. "I'll send Ellasbeth a shower gift. I still don't see what this has to do with Hope going nuts and blowing up a building! Or why she has a mark from a crazy demon on her."

But I thought I'd figured it out. "They were desperate. They didn't want to pin their hopes on one woman. They made a deal with Zee, didn't they?" I swallowed. "Fix a demon child and turn her over, so he'd fix Ellasbeth's kid."

Trent sighed, looking at his laced fingers. "That's what I suspect."

There was a long silence before Rachel snorted. "And they wanted to put _me_ away for doing black magic in the name of helping people. That is the _sickest_, most _depraved_ thing I've ever heard of." She kicked another chair out of the way, and I realized that Trent was surreptitiously nudging them under the table and into her path with juuuust the barest quirk at the edge of his lips. The action was so…_juvenile_…that I almost smiled.

"Does…does Zee know what happened to Hope yet?" I asked, finally forcing words from numb lips.

"I don't know. Who did you contact?"

"Dali," I said, "Though all he knows is that some demon blew up a building. Though word is bound to get around that Newt has a new protégée."

Trent almost suppressed his shudder at the mention of Dali's name, and Ceri touched his hand lightly. But even her regal demeanor cracked when Newt's name was mentioned. "Newt has the girl now?" she asked, looking horrified.

"There wasn't anything we could do," I said. "Newt saved her life. She marked Hope for it." I glanced at Rachel, uncertain whether we should mention our own part in all this. "Could Zee even do it? Reverse the elven curse?" I asked.

"He could have retrieved a sample of pre-curse elven DNA," Ceri said. "That's all the elves ever needed. Zee arranged the record-keeping curses. He knew the passwords. He could have done it."

There was another long silence.

"But I don't understand," Ceri continued. "They'd find out he did it, and he'd be severely sanctioned. Even if he brought a healthy demon girl to the Ever After, they'd still punish him severely for the transgression."

The answer was here, and it was probably something obvious, but none of us were making quite the right connections, yet. I felt I could almost _taste_ it, bitter as it was. "I think some folks in the Coven were involved somehow, too. Adrian thinks they are, anyway."

Rachel stopped, and suddenly looked like she wanted to throw up. "Oh god. Oh my fucking god!"

"Rachel," Ceri admonished. "Language!"

But Rachel was beyond hearing her. She sat. She thought furiously, muttering curses until Ceri finally rose with dignity and left the room, returning a moment later with an irritated expression and without her kid. We waited. "Brooke," Rachel finally spat. "Fucking Brooke. She knew WAY too much about me, about what I could do. She wanted us to reclaim our heritage, wanted to steal my ovaries and make an army of test-tube demon babies—"

"She what?" I stammered, not having heard this story.

"She knew. She had to have been involved. Fuck, she already knew how to summon demons! Why didn't I see it before? Yeah, she was an idiot who didn't have all the rules, and got herself demon-snatched in the end, but she'd done it before."

"Zee might not have kidnapped her even if he had the chance," Ceri said. "He's not very clever. And it doesn't sound like Brooke was what he wanted."

None of us wanted to ask what Zee wanted. It seemed plain enough. God, poor Hope. Maybe she was better off with Newt, after all.

"All of this is pure speculation," Quen reminded us. "But whether or not the Withons made a deal with a demon for the health of their grandchild, it doesn't change the reality. Rachel and Yvette, we've received formal notice from Ellasbeth. She's due any day now, and she demands that you rescue Hope from the Ever After _before_ her child is born...or she'll loose the _Cŵn Annwn_ upon you."

"She'll loose the who and the what now?" Rachel asked.

"The Hounds of Hell," Ceri said. "It's a very ancient, very terrible elven curse."


	72. The Question of Red

**In Which Ash Gets Tired Of Being In the Dark  
**

I would have loved to hear the details of this terrible canine curse about to be unleashed on us- and of course we'd be cursed, because the two worlds would collide before we had a hope of extracting Hope from both Zee AND Newt- but Ash chose that moment to summon me home.

I sneezed and winced as the gut-curling sensation hit me, and Rachel gave me a sympathetic look as she guessed what was happening. "I'll be in touch," I wheezed, bending double as I tried to resist the summons long enough to at least close out the conversation. "Still want to come with me to California tonight?"

"Oh, HELL, yeah," Rachel said, eyes narrowed. "Give me a ring when you get there and I'll give you the name."

"Nice to meet y'all. Thanks for not shooting me. Damn, I was really hoping to say hi to Solange before I left. Give her my love?" Ceri nodded. I sighed, grabbed the Bottle of Red sitting on the table before me, and relaxed into the sensation of my body dissolving into the nearest line.

It was a different line than the one in Trent's basement. The guy had two of them? I kicked myself for forgetting to ask him how the hell he'd managed to move an entire freaking ley line from its position by his vault. I'd never heard of such a thing before, but it had definitely happened. One moment it was there, the next it wasn't. More elven magic?

The reek of burnt amber smacked into me as I materialized in Ash's cozy little library. Ash was sitting in his favorite recliner, eyebrow raised. "It seems you had quite an adventure," he said, then wrinkled his nose. "You stink like elves."

I wanted to retort that elves smelled a hell of a lot better than demons, but refrained. For all I knew, the reek of demon magic would soon become a part of my being, too. Yay. Perhaps it was time to invest in some quality perfumes…? Or at least a good scent amulet. "Nice to see you too," I said instead. "I take it you got the news that Newt is back?"

Ash nodded. "With yet another demon girl, apparently? You failed to mention that part during our earlier conversation." He didn't seem upset about my omission, but his eyes had a mischievous glint in them, reminding me of how that conversation had ended. Oh, I'd be paying for all that teasing soon, I could tell. I felt the heady flush of anticipation all the way down to my toes, suppressing a little quiver. God, I was worse than a teenager with her first crush. This was just embarrassing.

"Mmm-hmm," I said mildly, trying to play it cool. "Rachel and I are going to check it out tonight. Where she came from, I mean."

"Why?"

I shrugged- no reason not to tell him everything, now that the situation was out of my control. I did so, pacing around the room, and he didn't interrupt. I wondered if that were due to surprise at what I was telling him, or just because he was enjoying watching me move. His gaze was certainly fixed on me with a feral intensity that would have scared the peas out of me a month ago. Now it just settled in my belly with hard-to-ignore tingle and pawed at my libido like a kitten.

"But this is excellent news!" he said happily when I got to the part about Newt marking the girl as her own. His verdict startled me into freezing, then fixing him with an incredulous stare. "Newt won't bother you or Rachel now that she's got a new toy to play with. Win-win!" He paused, as my face hadn't changed, and stifled a groan. "Oh. Oh, no, you've got to be kidding me. You're not seriously going to get_ involved_ in all this, are you?"

I winced. "I'm already involved, Ash. If we don't find out what's going on, we're going to get cursed with some ancient elven voodoo involving hellhounds or something."

Ash scoffed. "Bah. You think I've spent all this effort to snag you only to lose you to some stupid magic puppies? NOT happening."

I hid my smile under a scowl, affecting annoyance that he'd think I'd need _his_ help. _My hero. _ Meanwhile, Al was probably telling Rachel that if she couldn't handle a few elf dogs, she wasn't worth his time. "Ash, one more thing...we, uh, made a deal with Newt. Rachel and I marked the girl, too."

Ash nearly fell out of his chair in either astonishment- or exasperation. "Run that by me again?" His face showed nothing but bewilderment. "You're joking. Right? You're not joking, are you. You? _You_ marked her? _You?"_

"Yes! Me." I didn't blame him- I still couldn't believe it either. I slumped into the other chair, the less comfy old-style leather chair, and stared at my feet. "I couldn't think of anything else to do to help her. She hasn't agreed to the deal yet, though, so she might want to get them off. She might not even notice she has them. She's really screwed up. Worse than Newt." I glanced at Ash, who was still staring at me in wonder. "Would I have ended up that screwed up if you hadn't picked me out of the lines?" I asked.

Ash nodded. "Getting lost in a line happens to everyone, sooner or later. It's worse if you're female and can get into a bunch at once. If nobody goes in after you, you're dead Bits can get lost. Bloody pain to track them all down again, and they'll dissipate quickly."

I thought of Newt in the lines, still looking for missing pieces of Hope's soul nearly twelve hours later. "How long did it take you to fix me?" I asked.

"Hmm….maybe…two hours?" Ash guessed, and I gaped. _Two hours?_ "It screws with your memory. You wouldn't remember most of it. But _I _do." I recalled him when I'd awoken, gray-faced and exhausted. "I got all of you. You're just lucky I was there, and that I know you so intimately."

I blushed. It occurred to me again that I hadn't asked him why he hadn't marked me for that. "Newt was still searching when I found her. But I think she'd mostly given up by then."

Ash shook his head wonderingly. "I'm amazed she could hold onto one thought for that amount of time. Even after thousands of years that woman is still full of surprises."

"She's been alone for so long," I said, finding that Newt had wormed her way into one of my heartstrings and was now tugging experimentally. _Swell. _ "I kind of wonder if I haven't been misjudging her a little. I mean, she's still scary as hell and as manipulative and devious as any one of you, but…"

"But nothing. You're starting to underestimate her, love, and you're going to get burnt. By the way, what's the deal with the bottle?"

I held it up, having almost forgotten what I'd brought back with me. "It's Red. Newt gave him to me," I said, and Ash's mouth fell open again, a silent _why?_ on his lips. "Because she stole one of my memories without asking. Or to screw with me. Or to make Rachel mistrust me. Or to prove I can be bribed. Or to make our deal with Hope legit. Who knows? Take your pick." I shrugged. "So, um, what do I do with it? What happens if I just…?" I mimed popping the cork.

Ash shrugged. "You'll lose it. It's just a little witch soul, and not a very old one at that- it'll just dissipate and his body will fall lifeless. It's the souls who've already lost their bodies you have to watch- they get warped."

I swallowed. "Is there any way I can give it back to Red?"

Ash smiled cruelly. "Sure. Help me catch that human and I'll sell him to Andy. Andy'll trade up. You'll still have to kill the boy, but at least he'll have his soul back first."

"_Without_ resorting to slavery?" I amended quickly.

"You kill Red and Andy will just find someone new anyway. After he sues the socks off of you first." Ash sat back, regarding me. "Evie…keep it. Just keep it. You never know what can happen, and you have eternity, after all."

_Wait? Again? _ I was _soooo _close! But Ash was probably right, all things considered. Frustrated, I dropped my eyes to look at the swirl within the bottle. "Can he sense me?" I asked.

"No, he can't. The curse keeps his consciousness in his body, separate from his soul and its aura."

_How bizarre would that feel?_ My nose crinkled as I considered. "But how can he live without an aura? Oh. Duh. He's sharing Andraphael's aura, isn't he?" I shook my head, then peered into the bottle again. "Where's the smut? Shouldn't this be full of smut?"

"It's there," Ash shrugged, unconcerned.

I briefly considered his offer to trade Nick for Red's body and mind. _Why is everything so complicated over here? _But no, even though I now knew that Nick was a selfish little rat, I would still never willingly contribute to the whole people-as-currency philosophy of the Ever After.

I suddenly made up my mind. I'd ask Red myself. Heartened, I placed the bottle carefully on a bookshelf, though the weight still didn't leave my shoulders. I felt a little melancholic, but oddly cheered. It was a small, baby step down the path of redemption I'd set myself to so long ago, the path I'd turned from after ruling it impossible. Perhaps it wasn't impossible after all. And Ash was right, I had eternity. I could learn patience.


	73. An Undeadly Argument

_Eh, I guess I could have folded all this in with the previous chapter. It was so long, but I really felt like the previous chapter didn't really accomplish anything. This one, though...hoo, boy! I'd say having an argument that doesn't end in attempted murder is a step forward, wouldn't you? __ LOL! And now that I'm on my spring break, expect some seriously smut-a-riffic chapters in the few days!  
_

**In Which Evie...Pops the Question?  
**

"Speaking of Nick and this whole familiar-hunting business of yours," I said conversationally, though I could sense that Ash had risen while my back was turned and was silently stalking me. I shivered, even as part of my mind was kicking me and reminding me that we still had serious things to talk about. "There is no fucking way I'll let you sell anyone under my name. I'm serious!" I added as I whirled to face him, only to find that he was no longer behind me.

A curl of vanishing smoke was the only trace he'd left behind. Coward. Well, I guess that change of subject would have derailed anyone's seduction. I scowled. "And don't think that disappearing is going to get you out of this conversation, mister!" I said, more loudly, sensing that he was still there. "I will not have my good name sullied with this whole slavery thing!"

_Mmm, yes, your good name. The one who now claims ownership of _two_ demons. Mere familiars not good enough for _her_, oh, no._

I blushed, mortified at the reminder. "Oh, shut up. That was to save _your_ ass as much as _mine."_

_Why do you think I give a damn about what you want? _

"I could just set you free and move out," I countered. "It's the principle of the thing."

Ash reappeared abruptly in front of me, hands on hips and legs spread, all traces of humor gone. "I'm so _very _sorry you disapprove. Boo hoo. I'm not changing who I am to suit your delicate sensibilities."

"Yes, because heaven knows I haven't had to change anything about myself because of _you_," I retorted, starting to get pissed. "It's not like I had to change my entire identity when I found out I was a different fucking _species_. God forbid that you might have to make any little accommodations for the woman who saved your ass and whom you bound to you by blood and magic and venom and whatever the hell else…"

"Have I mentioned that guilt trips don't work on demons any better than reverse psychology?" Ash asked lightly, though I could tell that my words were getting under his skin. "And anyway, you're not the only one who's recently lost everything here."

Damn. He had me stumped for a few moments as I gathered my thoughts. I'd forgotten that perhaps Ash was still flailing as frantically as I was. I found my anger dissolving into compassion, and hated myself for it. "As I said, I thought I was saving your ass from Newt."

"Do you see me complaining?" Ash stepped away and sprawled on his chair, throwing a leg over the arm of the recliner, casual as anything. He regarded me with arrogant, red, goat-slitted eyes, and I wondered when they'd stopped looking alien and just looked right. "There's not a demon out there who wouldn't give their left nut to trade places with me." He reconsidered. "Except perhaps Al."

I think he meant that as a compliment, but it felt like a dart to the heart anyway. "I know. How nice to be such a unique...commodity." I clapped my hands with false enthusiasm. "I know! I can start an escort service! Who wouldn't want to spend a night with some hot demoness eye candy on their arm?"

Ash gave me another baffled look, aware he'd offended me and having no idea why. "What the hell are you going on about, Evie?"

"Maybe I could get Rachel in on this, after she comes out of the closet- after all, we're interchangable, right? Who'd know the difference?"

Ash made an exasperated noise. "For the love of...Evie, quit trying to piss me off. Yeah, I get it, I'm possessive and fun to taunt. I'm not rising to your bait tonight. Besides, I know how much you loathe us."

I blinked. How had he missed the point of my sarcasm so completely? Again, I felt my sails go limp as my miffed little wind died out. Then what he'd said did register, and I paused. This was kind of a step forward for him; I should acknowledge it. "That wasn't my intention, Ash."

He just continued to stare at me, and it was a little unnerving. I had the uncomfortable feeling that maybe he did get my point after all, and wasn't going to respond to it. If that was the case...well, ouch. But better than a lie, I supposed. I suddenly felt like I was back in high school again. Maybe I should just pass him a note. _Ash, do you like me? Check one: _yes _no._

"What do you want me to say, Evie?" he asked finally. "You obviously want to hear some sort of confession, and you're not going to get one. We'd have died out long ago without familiars. I've done this job since before the fucking pyramids were built. I'm afraid I cannot indulge you, love. I have commitments. I.O.U.s. Gambling debts. I owe too many demons fresh familiars, and there's no getting out of it. Breaking contracts is a big no-no, if you recall."

"Oh, geez." He had a point, didn't he? But I refused to be defeated. "Well, what if you just fulfill your contracts, obligations, whatever, _then_ stop?"

Ash regarded me with irritated amusement. His lip quirked into a mirthless smirk. "No promises. Surely you don't expect me to give it all up out of my undying love for you."

I snorted. Ash was right to say I didn't have a romantic bone in my body. "Oh, _would _you?" I asked, clasping my hands and batting my eyes. "I think I'd simply swoon. Would you like me to swoon for you? I've never had a good opportunity to swoon before."

Ash's lips moved as he fished for a response. Then he ducked his head and laughed, breaking the tension. When he looked up again his face was far more relaxed. "I've seen you swoon. I prefer you awake." He tilted his head to regard me, the crinkling of his eyes hinting at a smile. "Though if you'd like me to rip your bodice, I'm up for that."

"Later, maybe. But only if you dress up like a pirate first." I perked up. "And I get one of those tight lace-up bodices and long flowy skirts-"

"Mmm. I think you're confusing bodices with corsets. I'm not sure even I can rip through whalebone. Now there's a fashion trend I'm glad our females missed out on. I don't imagine having their innards relocated would make them any less cranky." He sat back, relaxed once more and expression turning serious. "Evie, do you _really_ expect me to just give up my profession? Nothing is free in the Ever After."

"Well, surely a day-walking demoness can come up with some way to make a living. Even if it's just imports and exports. What else do demons crave? What can't they get here?"

"Apart from the sun...?"

"All right, besides that." I laughed. "I know- I'll open a coffee and pastry shop. You can't tell me that demons wouldn't kill for real coffee and sweets." The wave of avarice he emitted nearly knocked me off my feet. I wanted to chuckle. Elf, witch, human, or demon, the way to a man's heart was definitely through his stomach.

"I'm sure you could also find lucrative employment with Dali. Dali could certainly use someone with your unique talents. Imagine the royalties…" Ash trailed off and I could practically see the dollar signs in his red eyes.

"Dali? No fucking way."

"I'm serious. It wouldn't even go against your precious high-minded ideals. You'd be well compensated for your efforts."

"I don't even want to know." For all I knew, Dali ran a brothel or something. I slumped a little in my chair. "Ash, do you really _like _what you do?"

His smile was cold, having that razor edge I'd seen before when he knew he was causing me pain. "Yes."

"Really? All of it? Keep in mind I've been listening to you bitch about Nick for a week, now."

"I am an expert at what I do," he said.

"You are," I agreed with a wry smile. "But do you_ like _it?" His face shut down and I knew I wasn't going to get an honest answer out of him, so I let it go with a sigh. He was right, I was waiting for some confession of guilt that he wasn't going to give me, and never would. I kicked myself for trying to humanize him, _again. _"Never mind."

The silence stretched. Ash was simply looking at me thoughtfully, a little like a zoologist studying a particularly amusing animal. I still had no power over him, not really, and part of me wondered who I thought I was, trying to order around a guy who'd predated the pharaohs. How humiliating would it be, to be in his situation?

"Do you want to be here?" I asked finally.

"What?"

"You know, here. In this situation. The way things are right now. Do you want out? Do you want me to legally set you free?"

"I believe I've already answered that," he said. He gazed up at me as I came to a halt before him, eyebrows raised as if this were a trick question.

"No, you said any other demon would jump at the chance to be you, but that's not the same thing. What about you?"

"Why do you care? I'm not leaving or fighting it, if that's what you're asking."

If he didn't stop evading my questions, I'd do something drastic. I searched for the words, wanting to shock him into honesty. "I _do_ care, Ash! Look, it's like if...we were married, right?" I said, finding a metaphor guaranteed to grab any man's attention.

Well, that shocked him, all right. He blinked and jerked as my words stuck right between his eyes like a suction cup dart. "_Married?_"

"Yeah. Married. As in, a duo. A team. Let's not kid ourselves that this is anything like the usual demon-familiar relationship any longer, or even a student-teacher relationship. We're two people shacking up. We're roomies. We're cohabitating. A marriage of convenience. You get the cool kid points of snagging a demon girl of your very own, and a place to live. I get the Ever After green card and an education. Win-win, right?"

Ash ducked his head again, tilting his head to give me a boyish sidelong glance. "A marriage of convenience?" he asked, one corner of his mouth quirking. "Is that _really _how you see all of this?"

"It's not entirely voluntary, I admit, but I'm a reasonable woman and I see the merits of a partnership with you. It's going to be long-term and open-ended, unless something horribly drastic happens."

"Partnership," he repeated, mulling this over, as if this were an entirely foreign concept. I let him stew, wondering why I still sensed a disquieting disappointment and frustration from him.

"Yes. Which means we both have to compromise."

"Aaaand...compromise means that I just give up everything and become your little demon gigalo? I thought you weren't really into slavery, Evie."

"Huh?" It occurred to me that were our positions reversed, how would I like to give up my profession to go be entirely supported by him? To be his little trophy mistress? (Nevermind that that's about exactly what he'd intended to happen). I felt stymied. Well, yes, actually, I suppose that's exactly what I was asking him to do. "Ash, every time you talk about your job, I remember...well, it would have been me. Being broken. Up on the auction block. Soulless and without hope. By_ your_ hand! How can I live with that knowledge, that you're doing that to other people like me?"

Ash waved that aside dismissively. "Of course you wouldn't have. It would have been blazingly obvious what you were the moment I'd gotten you back here in my clutches."

"But if I were just another witch-"

"But you're _not_."

And here we were again. "I was. You thought I was. I thought I was."

"Evie!" Ash's voice was totally exasperated now, and I stopped, breathing heavily. "What, _exactly_, is this all about?"

"I hate what you do. I hate that you do it. I hate that you'd have done it to me, too-"

"I just explained that-"

"I hate that it's just a job to you. I hate that it's a necessary thing for demon survival. And I hate that I can't hate you for it!" Angrily I blinked and swallowed, mentally warning my eyes that I would fucking tear them out before I'd let him see me cry over this.

Ash stared at me stonily. "There's more here, isn't there? Otherwise why have this conversation now?"

Once again, he proved himself more perceptive than I was. Stubbornly, I kept up with the theme. "Devi," I spat.

"He told you my activities would be under your name, I see. There are legal ways around that." Ash steepled his fingers, and I felt him swirling around in my subconscious.

"Get out of there!" I shouted, slamming the lid on my unconscious mind. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to be able to get through my shields! It occurred to me what he might been looking up in the library, and my outrage doubled.

To my surprise, I felt him retreat. "I was only trying to figure out what the problem is," he said, palms up in an appeasing gesture. "Isn't that what a good "husband" is supposed to do?"

I exhaled a long, exasperated sigh, not missing the sarcastic little quotes around the word. "Forget it."

"Three things," he said quietly, voice like ice. "First, I'm _not_ psychic. Second, if you'd really been just any other witch, special abilities or not, I'd have lost interest in you years ago. Third...while I see the need to compromise, I won't do so to appease your own guilt. Work out your issues, then we'll talk."

I gaped, speechless. _My_ guilt? Had all this been me projecting my guilt onto_ him_? I suddenly felt far less confident, turning away with a little frown. I'd have to think about this. He'd certainly made it clear that he was through letting me yell at him. And what had he meant by his second point? Was he throwing my ego a bone, finally? I tried to slip a little into his head, to better guess what he was thinking, but he sensed it and reinforced his mental shields. I wanted to kick myself for trying to invade his privacy. He did it to me all the time, but I was above that. I thought I was above that. OK, I really, _really_ wanted to know what he was thinking right now.

Ash smiled, obviously happy he'd gotten me to shut up and think. He relaxed and sat back again, a playful look in his eyes. "A marriage of convenience," he said at last, still tasting the words and undecided whether he liked the flavor or not. "How very…traditional."

"Hey, I don't _always _knock tradition," I said, forcing lightness into my voice. "Sometimes it gets things right."

But Ash straightened, as if reassessing the whole situation, and I'd lost his attention. There was a new light in his eyes that I mistrusted. Oh, shit, what had I inadvertently suggested to him now? He was scheming, right after I'd made the case that we should work together. I turned and bumped my head on the bookcase lightly, irritated and a little amused at my own optimism at the same time. Why did I even try? Did I really think I could get him to stop making me constantly run to keep up with him? "Whatever you're thinking, I'm sure it's nothing good."

"I was thinking, my lovely demoness, that you may have just provided me with a marvelous solution to our dilemma: How to save face among my peers, should I agree to humor your delicate sensibilities."

His voice was wickedly upbeat, and I recalled that he hadn't had his revenge for my teasing yet. _Uh oh. __This can't be anything good._ "Oh, do tell." _Here it comes, here it comes…the other shoe… _His little crooked grin was boyish and mischievous, and I found that it tugged a heartstring I hadn't even known I had. Shit, when had that happened? I kicked myself furiously. "You'd better not _actually_ ask me to marry you," I said suspiciously, given the topic we'd just been discussing.

He blinked innocently at me. "Of course not! _Me_ ask _you_ to be my spouse?" He sounded affronted, and I sagged with relief.

"Thank God. You had me going there for a—"

"Don't be ridiculous. Legally, that's_ your_ job." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And legally...one _might_ make the case that you just did."


	74. Unexpected Proposal

_Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! And I've just learned out what "lemons" means in the context of fanfiction. So, um...lemonade, anyone?  
_

I**n Which Evie Asks What We've All Been Wondering  
**

"No. No, no, _no!_ I was being fucking metaphorical! I only mentioned it to make a point!" I was backing away, horrified. "Absolutely not! You've already tricked me into moving in, being your student, being your familiar, and being your lover- I draw the line at being tricked into marriage!" Geez, what would he do to keep me here next, duct tape me to the wall?

"I didn't _ trick_ you into being my lover, Evie," he said with a dignified expression. "I _seduced_ you. It's an important distinction. There hasn't been an actual wedding in over two thousand years," he added, eyes gleaming. "Newt will be sooooo pissed. You'll have to make her your maid of honor."

"Oh, god, you've got to be kidding. You're kidding, right?" An unbidden image of Newt in an ugly taffeta gown made my mental eyes water.

"So much to arrange. We should hold the ceremony in reality, and charge for invitations!"

"What? That's..." _Charge_ for invitations to a _wedding_? Emily Post would be rolling in her grave!

_Wait, what?_

I shook my head off the rail I'd been sidetracked onto. Cheeky bastard. Ash swept by me and I felt a tingle of ever-after wash over me. The skin-tight spangled white gown I now wore might pass for a wedding dress...in Vegas. "Hmm, we'll get Dali to cater it. What do you think, open bar?"

"Ash!" This was going way too far. "No! Just, no! Stop!"

He reconsidered. "No, you're right, a bunch of drunken demons out in reality is just asking for trouble." He halted as I planted myself in front of him, blinking innocently as if seeing my incredulous face for the first time. "You don't agree?"

"No! I don't agree!"

"Well, if you think you can keep them in line, then-"

"There is no fucking way I'm marrying you, Ash."

He grinned, and it was a little manic-looking. "Evie, _ darling_," he said, ignoring my struggles as he swept me against him. "You aren't donning your running shoes already, are you? If you abandon me at the altar, everyone will know you've just broken an agreement. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

I tried to kick him, but as usual his grip was firm and unbreakable as a straitjacket. "You wouldn't dare," I growled. _Altar?_ Demons couldn't even enter holy ground! Surely he was just messing with me...

"Threaten me with Newt, will you?" he asked pleasantly, and I realized he was referring to our previous conversation. _Oh, shit. _ "My love, I do not take kindly to being taunted and threatened." He leaned in, crushing me even closer, pure arrogant dominance in his voice. "Then you come home and start ordering me around? I think I might have to remind you of your place."

"By _marrying _me?" I asked, starting to get frightened. "How the fuck does that work?"

"You aren't familiar with _demon _marriages," he said ominously.

I froze, momentarily shocked into silence by the unspoken implications. What the hell could he possibly mean? But suddenly, he cracked up, shaking with mirth, and I realized he'd totally been pulling my leg. "You!" I resumed struggling, though now it was only because I wanted to smack him. So this was his revenge for me teasing him earlier? Manipulative little creep!

He easily kept me from hurting him, though admittedly I wasn't trying very hard. "The look on your face was priceless," he said, still grinning.

"You are one twisted little...good grief, I can't believe I fell for that."

"Frankly," he said airily, "I'm not sure if I should be insulted or relieved by your reaction." He pretended to seriously consider the question. "Insulted, I think. It'll give me the excuse to do this." He released me briefly, grabbed the bodice of the dress, and ripped, ignoring my peep of surprise. "Much better," he growled, his lips descending to mine.

The little flames he'd left smoldering in me from the previous wild night abruptly burst into bonfires, and I whimpered with my sudden desire. _At last, _Therese sighed, and I was inclined to agree. I returned the kiss with equal heat, feeling tingles of line shiver through me as our tongues danced. There was the momentary disembodied sensation, as he shifted us to the bedroom, and then I was back in my body, in his arms, and rapidly losing the ability to think straight. I barely noticed small tingle as he slipped the silver onto my wrist, the coolness of the charm settling over me quickly engulfed by the flames Ash was kindling.

Unexpectedly he spun me to face away, holding me captive against him, so I could watch myself squirm and gasp in the mirror as he kissed my neck. I flushed down to my toes, seeing the torn dress and my tousled hair, and the glazed look of lust in my eyes. Spellbound, my eyes fixed on his as his possessive hands roved freely over my breasts, finished the job of rending the dress, and bared me to his hot gaze. His low rumble of anticipation vibrated through me as I tried to caress him back, but there was little I could reach, so I settled for simply clasping his arms. My nails dug into his hard muscle when I saw his fangs bared. His fingers slipped between my legs, which I parted for him without hesitation.

His wicked smile was all satisfaction as I moaned softly for him. I met his gaze again, writhing against him as he teased me, his body still fully clothed. I half expected him to have changed into a pirate shirt for the fun of it, but instead he still wore the doctoral-like robes he'd been in when I got home. He'd worn these the night he'd tried to capture me, and I looked only slightly older than I'd been then. Far from bringing back that night of terror, every single dark, denied erotic fantasy my teen-aged self had ever shoved away from view into a hidden corner of my psyche rose to the surface. I shuddered all over, feeling the sudden increased dampness between my thighs as he explored me.

He felt it too, and with a grunt he caught me tighter against his hard body. His mouth was on my neck, teeth piercing the skin as I watched. Oh, god, it was so incredibly erotic, watching him seducing my body, watching his tongue drawn over the wounds, watching his hands caressing me intimately. He pressed his lips to the wound and drew, hard, and I felt a sudden torrent of energy coursing from his lips to his fingers, buried deep inside me. My cry of pleasure was echoed by his groan of desire, as he expertly manipulated the energies within me until I trembled, desperate for release.

I tried to turn but he held me fast despite my cries and uncontrollable shudders. He forced me to watch as he bit me again, in a different spot. It hurt, but coupled with the bliss of the line and the movement of his fingers, the pleasure of his touch was only enhanced. My struggles were nothing to his strength, and I found myself raking his forearms with my fingernails in my efforts to escape this onslaught of sensation. "Ash," I panted, desperate for everything he could give me.

"Beg me for it, Evie," he demanded, his mouth hot on my ear. His eyes were fixed on mine in the mirror. "Beg me to take you."

I writhed, struggling against his grip, any indignation I felt thoroughly incinerated by the fiery need burning in my loins. I would have said anything to get him to release me so I could attack him with kisses and claws, teeth and magic. I was shameless in my need. "Please, Ash, I need you. Take me, please!"

"You're mine," he growled, his claws out now, denting my skin. One of them had already broken through, and a thin trickle of blood was slowly sliding down my belly. "You belong to me. Only me. Say it." Another wave of passionate energy filtered from him to me, and I couldn't say a damned thing until he eased up.

"Only you," I agreed when I could do more than simply whimper. "I'm yours. Only yours." His clothing finally melted away, so that I was pressed to his hot bare skin. He continued to kiss and suck at my neck, at the bites that still seeped blood, and I saw that I had new shallow wounds where I'd thrashed against his clawed fingers. The slightly numbing, sweet tingle of his venom was threading through me, enhancing every sensation. God, I should be totally freaking out, watching this, but I wasn't. It didn't hurt- it felt so incredibly good that it seemed somehow appropriate. Therese was relishing his attentions, basking in his power and enjoying his skill and his sensual commands. She felt safe, and desired, and powerful. She enjoyed the game- let him think he could dominate her...she was already plotting her revenge later.

In contrast to his actions, his brush on my mind was a soft, persuasive tingle. "Open for me," he whispered. "Let me in, Evie."

I dropped my shields and took him in, letting him feel every ounce and nuance of the fires he'd stoked in me. "Please, Ash," I whispered, once again begging him for release. He rewarded me with a torrent of erotic fire that lanced through me, hot and primal and saturated with his essence. I screamed his name as I came, falling limp against him in surrender.

He dropped to his knees, pulling me with him, and sheathed himself in me from behind. I gasped at the new sensations, this being my first time ever in this position, and found myself arching my back to increase them. He felt larger this way, a little painfully so, and it was perfect. Primal. The discomfort of his size only added to my excitement. I raised my gaze to watch our joined bodies, meeting his intent, half-lidded eyes as he thrust into me, taking me harder and faster than he'd ever done before. There was no line to bring me this time, only his punishing motions and his increasingly apparent pleasure, both of which were filling me with warm, liquid heat.

His eyes fixed on mine, and his expression was almost a snarl. I felt his own emotions seeping through our bond, a heady mix of lust and a pure, masculine, arrogant satisfaction. I was his, and he was the first to make me scream with pleasure, and he would do so again. He was right, and I was amused and aroused enough to play to his ego for the moment. It didn't take long before he had me crying out again with my second climax, followed by slightly more pained cries as he thrust into me even harder and deeper with his own groan of release. My reflex stilled his movements as his seed spilled into me, and he made a hoarse sound of pleasure as he relaxed.

He pulled me back up, against him, still kneeling as we waited for my reflex to let him go. He nuzzled my neck, his tongue cleaning the wounds he'd left- a gesture I found oddly affectionate. He'd wounded me, now he would tend to me as I basked in the afterglow of his attentions. At one point I shifted, and he winced, still stuck tight. "I imagine we used to be a bit more flexible," he murmured wryly. "Never did understand why females even had that reflex."

"Probably to make sure we got our cuddles afterward," I murmured sleepily, feeling a wave of ever-after wash over me, healing the numerous little scrapes and cuts. He snorted in amusement at the thought. "Ash...what do you really look like?"

His smile was a little incredulous as he met my gaze in the mirror. "In what sense?" he asked.

"I mean, without all the curses and disguises. What do demons look like?"

"Are you disappointed I don't have horns and a tail?" he asked, caressing me and nuzzling my ear. "I could fix that."

"No, I'm just curious. What do you look like?"

He laughed. "I was born looking pretty much like this, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh."

"You're disappointed, aren't you?" he asked, definitely amused.

"No! Not at all, I just thought...I mean..."

"I know what you thought." I hadn't offended him, I knew. I could tell by the quirk of his mouth that he found the topic pretty funny. "Everyone asks that question sooner or later."

"So...demons have always just looked like humans? Except for the eyes? Really?" OK, maybe I was a little surprised.

"I didn't say that." I huffed in frustration and he chuckled. "All right, you want the history lesson. We evolved, same as you did, but waaaay before humans came along. Like, millions of years before. So did the elves. You want to know what we looked like before we started playing with the new magical monkeys coming out of Africa? Use your imagination, Evie. What do you think we looked like?"

My history wasn't all that great, my biology training next to nil, but I knew what lived millions of years ago. "Dinosaurs?" I guessed.

He nodded. "We were standing up and pretty good at magic by then. Our brains were bigger and we'd lost the big ugly jaw. We had a language that included all manner of sensory modalities, including scent and flavor. Still had the wings and tails." He saw my intrigued look and grinned toothily, sending a wicked little spark into my belly. The little glint in his eye turned devilish. "You really want to see it, what we looked like before we began to mimic humans?"

Surely he wasn't...I started to say that yes, eventually, but not, perhaps, at this_ exact _moment. But ever-after coursed over him, and he...changed.


	75. Positively Primeval

_Oh, man.__ I was really hesitant to post this chapter- nearly skipped it and left it to the reader's imagination. But I was encouraged to post it anyway, so here goes!  
_

_So, uh...if the previous chapter was a nice glass of lemonade, this chapter is a sugared lemon slice in a huge shot of tequila and is served with a salt rim in a shot glass decorated with a naked woman in a total dive bar where the coasters advertise escort services. In other words, read at your own peril. (No non-con, don't worry.) _

_And let me know what you think...? Please?  
_

**In Which Evie...Finds Out  
**

I was suddenly in the embrace of...well, there was no better word for it. A demon.

I was wrapped in red, membranous wings. There were still hands where his wrists had been, with three clawed fingers and an opposing thumb. Batlike, the wings extended from thin, yet well-muscled forelimbs that extended several more feet beyond the wrist, in a long spike ending in a seriously nasty-looking claw. His skin was a velvety, dark red, and covered with something that at first I thought was fur, but would later decide was some sort of modified feathers, short and downy on his arms, longer and more substantial on his chest. But his face...his face was humanoid, in that it had eyes, nose, and mouth in the right places and they were roughly the same size as mine. But the bone structure was sharper, with deep ridges above and around his eyes, and his whole face was elongated. His skin was velvety smooth, covered in impossibly fine down that held subtle patterns of darker black on the red- save for patches around his eyes and mouth that were bare, revealing smooth, dark red skin. His scalp was hairless, but for an elaborate feathered headdress on his head. It was the only adornment he wore; otherwise he was nude. His legs were covered in downy fur as well, and though it was difficult to tell while he was kneeling, they looked longer and differently shaped than human legs.

I simply gaped, and I hadn't even seen all of him yet. I was partly fascinated, partly terrified, but mostly freaking out that he'd just gone ahead and changed into this- _while he was still stuck inside me! _And what's more, he was _bigger _now, stretching me uncomfortably. "_Shit_, Ash!" I breathed, squirming, and he growled playfully. My heart nearly stopped at the sound. I might not have been human, but there was a teeny ancestral mammal in my hindbrain that had just frozen in terror anyway.

He grinned at my reaction, parting thin lips to reveal a mouthful of very sharp teeth. There was no question that he'd come from a long line of dangerous predators. "Holy shit, Ash!" I gasped again, confronted with his prominent fangs. He bent to snake a long, thick, forked tongue up my neck, holding me tighter as I began to struggle and breathe rapidly. His nose was flatter than a human's, slitted, and his nostrils flared as he breathed in the scent of my hair and fear. I whimpered as he lifted me tighter against his body, and I had a perfect view of my shocked expression- and every other detail in my lower regions- when he began to move within me again. I gaped, knowing this was my demon and that I was safe...mostly...but panting with fear anyway. I could _not_ believe he was doing this! "Oh my fucking god, Ash- holy shit, _change back_ if you're going to...going to..."

He rumbled with amusement and withdrew. I caught a glimpse of his full shape as he stood and lifted me, lean and powerful, before he spun lightly, crossed the room, and flung me onto his bed. "You wanted to see me, love," he said with evil satisfaction as he loomed over me. His voice, though deeper, was still his, as were his red, goat-slitted eyes. He had to be well over eight feet tall, and yes, he did have a tail. Yes, it was wrapping itself around my ankle in a very frightening way, pulling me back toward him even as I scrambled backwards with wide eyes. His wingspan was massive, ten feet or more when he posed for me and flared the huge bat-like wings wide. My jaw dropped at the sight of his erection, which was...well, rather bigger than I was used to, though the parts looked mostly the same.

"I d-didn't mean I wanted-" I stammered, then shrieked and struggled as he fell on me, fangs bared. Clawed fingers caught my wrists, pinning me down with irresistible strength. Before I could protest, his forked tongue found the mark over my heart and kindled it. Monstrous or not not, the bastard still knew how to use a line. I arched against him, eyes shut tight, feeling the soft rasp of his feathers on my bare skin, the sensations mingling with the line he channeled through me. I screamed for him, half in fear and half in surrender to the utter bliss that was filling me. The familiarity of the energies calmed me a little, reassuring me that it really was still Ash in there. He bent to kiss me, though his mouth was less suited for softness now- his teeth were sharp, and his tongue was _far_ too long. I could taste the new subtle changes in his scent and flavor, but they weren't unpleasant. In fact, the scent that had always drawn me to him was magnified, richer and deeper, as if his human guise couldn't fully express the nuances. I filled my senses with him as he gently nipped my neck, the velvet softness of his cheek brushing my jaw and the feathered crown tickling my nose. God, I was _insane._ Absolutely insane!

"Oh, but _I _want..." The wicked, demonic smile he wore when he pulled back was _not_ reassuring. Shit. _Shit! _ Surely he wasn't going to- "And I think you want it too," he rumbled, low and sensuous, and my eyes widened with shock as he pressed himself inside me once more. Oh, God, he _was_. I couldn't believe he was doing this! Worse, I couldn't believe I was letting him! I scratched at him, struggled against him, panted in pained gasps until he was fully sheathed. Holy shit- he was _huge!_ He paused briefly, letting me adjust. Then he began to move slowly, achingly slowly, sending new tantalizing tendrils of ley line power over my skin and through my nerves.

I was still halfway out of my skull with confusion and fright, but I knew it was him- he couldn't change who he was inside, and this was definitely my familiar. And what he was doing to me was fucking _amazing_. The shock and shame I felt was only enhancing my pleasure at letting him get away with this. I moaned and cursed as he began to quicken his pace, clenching around him involuntarily until he groaned at the pressure. Soon he was thrusting harder and harder as I writhed beneath him, nearly overcome with the adrenaline-induced sensory euphoria mingled with his magic, which eased the pain his size was causing me. I struggled against his strength, even as I surrendered to him. It was more of a token resistance by my rational mind, which was desperately trying to convince me- against all the evidence- that I was _not _relishing being penetrated and pleasured by a bat-winged demonic monster.

Oh, but Therese, my wicked inner demon, had no such compunctions, no doubts. She flung open the familiar bond and pulled, pulled, pulled hard from him, filling herself with his dark, primitive energy, and Ash roared in response. I screamed again as he flooded me with power, then drew it back into himself slowly, savoring. I pushed back, harder and harder, until his resistance crumbled and I flooded him back, forcing my power into his _chi_. He pushed it back into me, fast and brutal, and I flung it right back at him. He continued to ravish my body as we exchanged energies, his expert use of line and tongue unchanged. If anyone had heard my desperate screams and choked oaths spat through clenched teeth, I'm sure they'd have thought he was torturing me. Well, to be fair, he was- though I'd have killed him if he'd stopped what he was doing.

Orgasm ripped through me suddenly and unexpectedly, and I released all the energy in my _chi_ and then some into Ash. He roared again, fangs sinking into my shoulder as I jerked and clenched around him, riding wave after wave of intense, heated pleasure, fingers buried in the odd feathery adornment he wore in place of hair. My tight grasp pulled several of them free, and I realized they weren't a simple headdress he was wearing when he winced and let out a muffled oath against my skin.

He collapsed on me, and I felt every last pulse and spasm as he emptied his hot seed into me. I was shaking from adrenaline and exhaustion and little tingling aftershocks of pleasure and pain. Holy shit. _Holy shit! _ My rational mind was chanting _OMG-WTF-OMG-WTF-OMG What the hell did I just do?_ What was wrong with me? Why hadn't I stopped him? Surely I was not the kind of woman who wanted...who enjoyed...

Therese, however, was definitely feeling the call of her heritage, wondering what she might have looked like and whether he'd show her someday. She ignored the suggestion that I should be far more freaked out than I was (which, admittedly, was very, very freaked out). Was it so wrong? It had been pretty kinky, all things considered, but it was just Ash, after all. And he _was_ a demon, right? And so was I, so...? I gave up trying to explain myself. Apparently I had a kink for rough demon sex. Add it to the growing list of things to freak out over if I ever got a chance to stop running.

"Ash, you have_ feathers_," I said finally, running my fingers through them wonderingly. Just like my cockatoo's little crest, they moved under my caress, reflexively flattening and then lifting again. They differed from familiar feathers in a way I couldn't explain, and they were a complex pattern of red and iridescent black. Striking and beautiful, up close, I thought. Well, except for the double handful I'd grabbed and mangled, that is.

He tilted his head away in a gesture that said he didn't really like me doing that. Fair enough, neither had my cockatoo. "Yes, and you're ruffling them. It feels funny. A lot of those old lizards had feathers, didn't you know?"

I hadn't, but remembered reading somewhere that birds had come from dinosaurs. It was odd, but even with the feathers, Ash looked nothing like a bird, or a reptile, for that matter. He looked like nothing I'd ever imagined. Sure, there was a superficial resemblance to gargoyles, or the traditional red-skinned demons of Medieval texts, but also much more like an actual living, biological creature than either. I explored the membranes of his wings next- warm, tough, covered with a velvety fine fuzzy layer of blood-red down, and full of intricate myriad little vessels pulsing with blood. Surprisingly, fine muscles within them twitched under my fingers as I stroked the skin. He jerked a little with a suppressed snort. "Stop that. It tickles."

Big mistake, letting that slip. He protested and squirmed as I playfully danced fingers along his wings, and his sudden movement made him wince where he was still stuck tight- that damned reflex again. I couldn't help laughing. "You know, for a big scary demon you're pretty damn _sensitive_," I teased. "And if anything, I'd say you're _less_ flexible than usual. So much for that theory?"

He raised his head to scowl crookedly at me, a decidedly raptor-like look in his eye. Despite his altered features, it was a pure Ash expression. "Ha ha," he said, and to my great relief he melted back into his familiar face and body. He freed himself easily, but didn't move otherwise, still pressing me down me with his heavy warmth.

I looked back at him, seeing nothing of the red demon in him other than his familiar red, goat-slitted eyes and the usual ruddy tone to his skin. He'd been terrifying, but not horrible, or ugly. Now that it was safely hidden away, the mental image I had was sleek, deadly, and alien, but...beautiful.

"Are you sorry now that you asked...?" he wondered teasingly, once again tending to my wounds with long, erotic licks of his (thank goodness) normal, pink tongue.

I laughed, a small, incredulous, and slightly pained laugh. I'd _definitely_ be walking funny when I got moving again. "Um." I felt a rush of heat on my face, though whether it was shame, embarrassment, or remembered lust, I wasn't sure. Probably a bit of all three, with emphasis on the latter. What, exactly, _was_ the proper response to that question? His smug, knowing smile cinched it. Oh, yeah. He'd known I wouldn't stop him. Cheeky asshole. "I can't fucking believe I let you get away with that. You _ever_ tell anyone about this and I'll...I'll..."

His mischievous grin told me he knew exactly what I was thinking. He picked up one of the plucked feathers and drew it teasingly down my jaw, smirking and looking as wicked as the devil he was. This was the guy who said there was nothing he hadn't tried over the years, so he would hardly judge _me_ for being adventurous. "We'll save it for special occasions, then."

* * *

Note: _So Ash's appearance might seem like an odd look, but I actually did a bit of research on dinosaurs, especially my favorite order, the pterosaurs (the winged lizards), who lived 65 million years ago, right about when mammals arrived on the scene. I tried to imagine what 65 million years of evolution might have done, had they survived the asteroid and learned to use magic. And yes, the pterosaurs had protofeathers, so who's to say they didn't eventually evolve the real thing?_


	76. Satisfied

_I guess y'all thought that was fun...only a few comments, but I notice that chapter 75 has the most hits and is the most re-read chapter of them all...*evil grin* You do realize that means I have to raise the bar, now...?_ _So, uh...back to the plot? Not quite yet...Evie's too busy looking a gift horse in the mouth. (Can't ya just sit back and enjoy the sex, woman...? Sheesh. *lol*) I don't know why it took so long to get this and the next chapter right. _

_Demons. Always making things more complicated than they need to be...  
_

**In Which Ash Explains His "Demon Thing" and Is Satisfied**_  
_

I awoke in darkness hours later, still wrapped in the warmth of my demon's arms. I know I had a list of serious issues scheduled for contemplation, but apparently my body had had other ideas. And Ash was very good at exhausting me. He'd insisted on making sure he hadn't done any damage in his alternate form, and had given me a very slow, thorough, and detailed examination that had left me hoarse, quivering, and barely conscious through the haze of sated lust- but nicely healed up. And certainly not thinking of anything else but a vague wonder- how long had he been practicing _that_?

Ash instantly awoke when I gave an involuntary purr of recollection. "So," he said, voice hoarse with sleep, "have I convinced you of the bright side of being stuck with me?"

"Mmmm," I replied noncommittally, not that it wasn't obvious. If I said yes, would he stop trying? "No, I don't think so. I think I might need more convincing. Lots more." I stretched luxuriously. "So...why did I need convincing of your prowess, again?"

"You mentioned setting me free." Ash lit the room lights for us, then laid his head on my chest, burrowing closer. It still tickled me that he was such a snuggler. He might be standoffish and domineering at all other times- when he wasn't busy seducing me, anyway- but if we were safely tucked behind the bedroom ward, he wouldn't settle unless some part of him was touching me. It might have been sweet, if I didn't suspect that he was doing it so he'd wake when I did, and couldn't murder him in his sleep. "And leaving. Setting aside the fact that I'd sooner kill you than let you get away from me-"

"Shouldn't that be, '_I'd_ sooner die than let you go?'" I asked, amused, trying to wriggle away.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said with a snort. "Anyway, as I was saying, I simply won't allow it." To illustrate his point, he took a firmer grip and resumed his stubborn cuddle.

Ash was a friggin' furnace. I kicked at the blankets covering us until I got a side free. "Wait, clarify this for me...who own whom, here?"

"Besides," he continued, "it was a pain in the ass to catch you, and I'm too fucking lazy to do it all over again. Not even if the world were crawling with demon females. Once was enough."

I sniffed haughtily. "Well, that's good, because I'd hate to have to murder you for replacing me."

Okay, that had come out a little stronger than I'd intended, but Ash seemed to appreciate the sentiment. He sighed, nuzzled my breast, breathing in my scent and relaxing against me as if he hadn't a care in the world. Unconsciously I relaxed as well, lying in the dim light, wrapped in his warmth. Therese was completely content to lie there without a thought, feeling utterly safe and deliciously sated.

But _my_ inner voice of common sense started up with the nagging, reminding me that there were still several giant unresolved matters between us. Troubled, my hand played through the amber softness of his hair, wondering what was going through his mind. What had that incredible encounter been about, anyway? I mean, the rough demon sex had been exciting and all, but _afterwards_... afterwards had been the exact opposite, gentle and tender. Surely he didn't think I was _seriously_ contemplating leaving? Where the hell would I go? To Al? Newt? Devi? Live on my own, _here_? No, it was an empty threat, and surely he knew that.

Besides...crap, I had to admit it. I liked it here. With him. I liked _him. _

"Something the matter?" he asked at my sigh, lifting his head to peer at me.

I didn't reply. I was too confused. How could I be feeling such overwhelming affection for this man? How could my brain possibly reconcile it with the horrifying things he did, and would keep doing? What was _wrong_ with me? Was I selfish? Flawed? Callous? Did I have such cruelty hiding within my heart and didn't even know it? But how could I be evil, if I were capable of such affection? _Which part _of my divided mind was feeling the affection, anyway?

How could he be evil, if he were capable of it as well? He wasn't. And neither was I. I'd always known that it had never been that simple.

"Evie?" Ash had propped himself up on an elbow, playfulness gone.

_Affection. _ Right. Who the hell was I kidding? Even fucking _Newt _could see it was more than that. And I couldn't fool myself into pinning this on Therese. Therese was me, after all. I despised and hated Ash. I feared Ash. And I loved Ash, needed him. It was such a mix of overpowering emotions that I couldn't even put a name to the result.

I swallowed, wishing I had the guts to say any of this to him. But I was still fearful of his reaction. Terrified that he'd turn around and use it to manipulate me, or that it was all somehow just a side effect of his venom. He'd think me such a sucker. I couldn't bear to see his contempt. I didn't think I could recover from any real evidence of my foolishness.

I squeezed my eyes, opened them to meet his gaze. His expression was troubled, openly perplexed. "Evie, you're not going to freak out about that whole demon-form thing, are you?" His expression turned annoyed and a little chagrined. "I keep forgetting that what's vanilla for us is probably a little unusual for-"

My laugh sounded a little choked. Last night had been..._vanilla? _ A _little _unusual? Shit, what would he consider _kinky_? "No! No, that's not what's on my mind. I'm just really, um...confused."

His red eyes were still anxious in the dim light. He thought he'd fucked up somehow, didn't he? Even as I watched, his lips compressed defensively and I could practically see the shield going up behind his face, preparing for whatever I was going to fling at him. His face grew resigned, the light left his eyes- to be replaced with casual indifference. Preparing to be hurt, preparing to hide it. "About what?"

How could I respond to that? My silence only made it worse, and he slipped away, sitting up and huffing in frustration. Indecision paralyzed my lips. I wanted more than anything to reassure him. To reassure an ancient being who probably didn't give a damn how I felt. After all, he'd never asked. Not even once. "Ash...do you-"

His finger shushed my lips. "Evie. Stop asking."_ Huh?_ I didn't reply, but he saw the question. "_Stop asking,_" he said again, anger in his voice. "Stop asking if I fucking want to be here!"

Hurt, I looked away. I didn't understand, but his message was clear enough. All right, I could take a hint. I turned aside, and I heard his exasperated hiss.

"Don't you get it?" he asked finally.

"What's to get?" I mumbled.

I gasped as he grabbed my shoulder and yanked me to face him, to see how furious I'd made him. "Have I not proved to you how deadly fucking serious I am? You will never escape me, Evie. The worlds will collide, the sun will shine on our bones, and you will_ still be mine_."

I just blinked at him, like he was speaking a foreign language. And he was. I heard the words, but they had the wrong, almost desperate emphasis. "But-"

"But you still doubt my fucking sincerity? Shall I try to rip out your soul again?"

"Try it and I'll smack you down even harder than before," I replied angrily. "And no, I don't doubt your fucking sincerity!"

"_Then why do you keep asking_?" he hissed through gritted teeth.

I was really baffled now. "Ash...I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Is this some demon thing?"

The snarl on his lips faltered. "Demon thing...?"

"You're looking for some kind of response from me, and I have no idea what," I said. "Honest. What the hell are you going on about?" He backed off and released my shoulder, sitting back as if I were the one now speaking a foreign language. "Is it a demon thing? I was raised to be a human. And humans ask each other that sort of thing when they're...you know...in a relationship. I've never been in one. I'm doing my best," I added a little defensively.

He was silent for a moment, considering. "You express your doubt," he said slowly, as if trying to explain it to himself as well. "Every time you ask. Your...uncertainty. Do you not believe I have the power to back up every fucking thing I say?"

"Uh...no," I admitted, still bewildered. An incredulous laugh escaped me. "No, I'm pretty sure you mean every creepy, stalker-y word."

"Am I not...do you not..." His reluctance to finish the sentence was clear. "Yet you still think..."

"There are some seriously crossed wires here," I said. "I feel like I'm supposed to tell you I want to kill you or something."

"Do you?" he asked, and I could hear the sudden interest. Oh good grief.

"Getting there fast," I said, frustrated. "Ash..."

"Evie. You are _mine_," he said with a growl. "I have claimed you, and bound you. You wear my mark, you bear the scar of my lust for all to see. My essence flows in your veins, seeps from your pores." His voice was still angry, but it was the anger of the lost and confused. He was waiting for my response, and when I just stared at him, he shook his head in frustration

Completely baffled, I gave Therese a mental poke, but she wasn't any help. She just wanted to rip his head off and be done with it for daring to imply he'd somehow done all this without _her_ permission. "Ash...if I were a demon woman, what would I do?" I finally asked, quietly.

He considered me with narrowed eyes for a long moment. "If I were...human...what would you expect of me?" he retorted.

Human and witch males weren't especially known for discussing their feelings either, I thought wryly. In that sense Ash_ had_ been a bit more forthcoming. Vehement. Passionate, even. I forced myself to try to see it from his point of view. What was he saying? He wanted me to acknowledge the lengths he'd gone to, to bind me. But I'd _let_ him do all that, hadn't I? He wouldn't have dared if he hadn't known I'd let him...

Abruptly it clicked into place. He was angry and goading me. I_ was _supposed to be ripping his head off right about now. And here I kept asking him if he was really sure about his decision, when he'd been making it clear over and over that he was deadly serious, and it was I who was the uncertain one.

_He's hurt because I've never claimed him back. Oooooooh boy._

He seemed to have a simultaneous epiphany, though his was apparently bitter-tasting. "You want me to tell you that I..._love_ you, don't you?" he said, mouth twisting with contempt. "That's it, isn't it?"

My face went cold, because he looked completely disgusted at the idea. OK, _ouch_. Maybe I'd deserved that. "Demons don't love...?" I said, trying not to sound as humiliated as I felt.

"_Love,_" he said, voice dripping with disgust, "is a meaningless word that mortals use to describe their shallow, paltry emotions surrounding their infatuated little couplings. They use it to justify, to excuse, to boast, and even to describe the connections they feel to their mewling little younglings. It falls from the lips of filthy, lying, degraded souls, to be believed by those desperate to be deceived. It's fleeting, ever-changing, temporary, and ultimately betrayed. I capture my familiars by making them _love_ me, Evie. Love is a blind need for acceptance, or a condescending tolerance of failings. No. Demons never _love. _To use such a degraded word in reference to...this...?" He indicated the pair of us, locked behind the humming ward. "I wouldn't sully my lips with it. I wouldn't...disgrace you...like that."

My jaw dropped. I think this was the longest speech I'd ever heard Ash make. And it was clear that he believed every single word. He took the ward down with a snap so he could slip away from me. He stood proudly, looking down at me, and I knew that I'd managed to really wound him this time. Pain was in the tension of his shoulders and the rigid muscles of his arms and fists, the clench of his jaw. Then he turned, and I knew he was about to jump from the room.

"Stop," I ordered, though my voice was shaking. "You jump out of here and I will fucking track you down and kick your ass."

He turned to me with an expression that was cold and a little bemused. "Why? Do you want to tell me how you _love_ me? I'd rather gargle acid."

"Like hell I am!" I spat. I'd rather chew rusty nails at this point. "I own your ass. Get back here."

He lifted his chin defiantly, like a taunting child, _make me_ clear in his stance. All right, he'd asked for it.

I modified a jump so that I vanished and reappeared behind him. When he spun around to meet me with a contemptuous look, I slammed a hand onto his mark and blasted him- with the pain curse I'd learned from Al. He immediately cried out in shock, stumbling back and collapsing onto the bed. I kept it up, getting right in his face. "You bastard. You never tricked or stole _anything_ from me- I _gave it _all to you. I even gave you my fucking _soul, _once_._" He winced at the pain, but didn't move to stop me. "I claimed you. I marked you! Do you hear me? Don't you dare shit all over my heart just because I've been raised by mortals, Ash. I could have my pick of your ratty little band of impotent exiles, and _I. Fucking. Chose. You!" _

Despite the pain, I had his full attention. His expression was suffused with stunned disbelief. Disgusted, I released the curse and stepped back. It was my turn to glare down at him proudly. "_Dammit,_ Ash, you _really _know how to piss me off!"

"You," he gasped after a moment, sitting up and pressing a hand to his aching chest. "are the most confusing female I have ever met."

I waited for him to lunge at me, but he didn't. "And you're the biggest _ass _I've ever met," I retorted. "I not the fucking demon woman you apparently think I am."

He scowled, understanding my meaning. "I shouldn't have to_ tell _you how to act and feel," he said sullenly.

I laughed. This was too precious. "You're an _idiot,_" I told him. "But you're _my _idiot."

He just stared at me, red eyes ancient and yet somehow nakedly young.

"I take care of what's mine," I growled, thinking of Hope with a pang, and of Red, trapped in a bottle. "Object all you want to my methods. I can't help how I was raised. When I ask you if you're content, all I'm asking is if you're fucking _content_. As in, can we make things _better_ if you _aren't_. Idiot."

He continued staring, considering, and his eyes widened slightly. He raised his chin, thought it over some more, and then began to laugh. Rueful and amused, he chuckled. "I see. What a mortal way to look at things." He fixed me with a piercing glare. "What I don't understand is why it matters at all how I...feel...about it. You're mine. It's done."

"You demons are fucking crazy," I said. "Just accept the fact that how you feel about all this _does_ matter to me, all right? And I'll try to accept the fact that it...doesn't matter to you."

"I see," he said again. "Very well, Evie. Since it matters. How do I feel…?" He gave it a few moment's thought, eyes wandering as he cataloged his inner workings for a moment. Then he crossed his arms, cocked his head, and hit me with the truth I'd demanded. "Right now, at this moment…I feel frustrated. I find this request pointless, because my feelings shift like unstable sands, as do any other being's. I find you irritating, stubborn, naive and terribly ignorant. You are softhearted, which will always make you weak."

I wanted to protest that compassion wasn't _weakness,_ for crying out loud, but he held up a hand. At least he was humoring me and being honest. "I also feel amusement. You are interesting, and far too clever to be easily dominated, and your failings are only those of inexperience. Your unwanted attraction to me is most gratifying. I feel anticipation. I will relish watching you grow into your power, and anticipate that you will be most feared and coveted by all."

He leaned forward, pinning me with the intensity of his gaze. My retort died on my lips. I suddenly felt the weight of his age, suddenly realizing that this ancient being, who'd seen and done and lived through so much, was so intensely, smolderingly fixated on me. In that moment I was the only thing in his universe, and his full attention was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure. "But mostly, what I feel is a lust to possess you, all of you, in every way. You will always belong to me," he breathed, pure dominance in his voice. "I alone can crush your spirit, should I so desire. I alone can scar you without fear. You will always be _mine. _I'm proud of my conquest. I am very..._satisfied._"


	77. Unsatisfied

**In Which Ash Comes (Clean) But Doesn't Get Off (Lightly) **

_Such a charmer,_ I thought wryly. And he certainly _looked_ satisfied, his smug grin curving his lips. And yet, how much more sincere could anyone be? That was the demon equivalent of baring your soul...no sugar-coat in sight.

"Does that appease your need to know whether I am content, my_ Beraxadtha_?" he asked. He was genuinely curious.

"I...guess so," I said. He wasn't human, and neither was I. It was unfair to him for me to try to turn him into one. I tried to think as he did. He'd seen what he wanted, and he'd taken it. He anticipated having a very powerful ally in the future, one he had influence over. One he could live with, who he found amusing enough to tolerate for the foreseeable future. Until the worlds collided and the sun shown on our bones, he'd said. I turned it around in my head again. He was saying we were bound regardless of how he or I felt about it. He'd made his decision, and he'd fight to the death to keep to it. He'd kill me before letting me go. If that wasn't a declaration of a fucking strong commitment, I didn't know what was. No, it wasn't love. But it was a powerful declaration all the same. It was loyalty, regardless of emotion, of the rage and hurt two people could cause each other.

"Such certainty is_ so_ reassuring," he answered, smug grin becoming a wry smile. "I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear."

"No, but…it helped. You answered me, Ash." I couldn't meet his gaze. "I didn't understand." _I didn't ask for this, _I thought, feeling the chill in my stomach. _He's talking forever, and I didn't ask for this..._

He sighed. "Now it's your turn: what prompts the questions? I see guilt and uncertainty in your eyes. What is it you doubt, if it's not _me?_" His red gaze was keen, too damned penetrating for comfort.

I felt suddenly sick with fear. It was the kind of fear any woman would feel when confronted with a man who'd pulled out the stops on his inner stalker. I'd been ready for a declaration of love- as unexpected and crazy as it would have been, coming from him- or even an indifferent "you're only a tool" speech…but to be confronted with the full reality of being magically bound to a passionate, possessive, cruel demon for the foreseeable eternity? It was what I'd always feared. I _had_ given him my soul, hadn't I? The moment I'd let him save me. He hadn't given it back. He'd taken it for his own, even if it still resided in my body.

Suddenly I was terrified he'd think I'd betrayed _him. _By not realizing what I'd signed on to, or being anywhere near ready to make that kind of commitment.

_Well, shit. I'd enjoyed not being constantly terrified of Ash. I guess that was wishful thinking..._

"You're right to fear yourself. As you said- you wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't allowed it."

I looked back up, startled. His red, goat-slitted eyes fixed searchingly on mine again, gauging my level of distress. It shot up about ten more degrees as I realized he was reading me like a book. He'd just stripped me of all of my illusions of control. I couldn't lie to him, not after his honesty. "What?"

"Since we're being honest with each other…" His alien eyes were dark with serious intensity. "I lied to you. It was always rare for a familiar bond to go both ways. It's dangerously intimate. I took the chance when it was presented to me, hoping you would accept it, and you did."

I stared at him, eyes narrowed, but nodded. "I figured that—"

"For mutual familiars to then mate?" Ash continued, chuckling humorlessly. "It was a rash decision on my part. Al wishes to take Rachel as his bonded female, which is why he won't make her his familiar. Al had a wife once. He knows better."

"Mate," I said, and my voice was more wobbly than I'd have liked it to sound. It wasn't a question. Oh, good lord, what had we done?

"I also lied to you yesterday, about the significance of the venom," he said, unrepentantly. "It forms a different kind of bond."

"I'd already guessed that much," I said, hearing the frustration in my voice. "It's a physical dependence, isn't it." _Addiction._ _Bastard. Ash, you fucking bastard._

He nodded. "That's part of it, anyway. The main consequence is that you won't be able to kill me."

"Even if I'd really like to right now…?" I asked, feeling my fingers itch.

"Your magic will fail if you try. Or your strength. It's how a male protects himself from his female."

"How long does it last…?" I asked, far more calmly than I felt. I was amazed to hear my voice was now steady.

"As long as I wish it," he said, voice cold. "As long as I want it to. I can release you with a curse, but I won't. You chose this when you asked me to scar you again, when I accepted."

A scant span of hours ago. I'd done something irrevocable. I couldn't understand it- Therese had wanted it. Craved it. Needed it so desperately. And I'd just…gone along with it. Let him. And here I was wanting to know how he felt about me…no, it didn't matter now, I guess. He'd gotten what he wanted. Full possession.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked finally, feeling a tiny wail of fury and despair in my head. "You think I'm going to just lie back and accept it?"

"Evie…" He paused, swallowed. "We are creatures of intellect, but we cannot escape the instincts that define us." I bit my lip, feeling every bit as ignorant and stupid as he'd said I was. "But had you _not_ _chosen this,_ on some level, I would be dead now. You'd have killed me yesterday."

"I know," I said. I tried to stop my shivering. Maybe I hadn't been ready for this bare honesty. Still, I had to say that he'd laid quite a lot of my doubts to rest. I no longer feared him plotting against me, anyway. Just that one day I'd drive him psycho by looking at another guy funny or something. _Nice._

"Cruel as it sounds, it pleases me to see you fight it, still," he murmured. I felt a cold, tingling shiver inside me. He wasn't angry about it? "It makes my little victories all the sweeter."

"What's left?" I asked, voice rising. "What is left that you haven't already taken, you bastard? What more is there to fucking _win_?"

"_You_," he said, lifting his chin, giving me almost a wistful smile, broken by his ever-present hint of smirk. "One day, you will claim me, as I have claimed you."

I blinked. "Does it matter?" I echoed him, irritated sarcasm in my voice.

He smiled at the bite in my voice. "It does. Because you have to take it from me, and it will seal the bond."

I nearly jumped with my surprise. "Wait. It's not a done deal yet?"

"No."

"I have a choice in this?" I clarified.

"You do."

"It's not some stupid instinct-driven thing that I'll do without realizing it, and then you'll go and taunt me with it?" I asked eagerly, desperately needing to be absolutely certain.

"N-no," he said, reluctantly.

I blinked. "It is! And you were just going to let me...weren't you?" I said accusingly. "You were totally going to just let me follow my instincts and go ahead and bind you just like you did, and hey, surprise, Evie, you've just gotten married to the demon of your dreams forever until the worlds collide?"

Ash finally had the grace to look sheepish. "OK, I was," he admitted.

"You...you..." Words failed me. I was very tempted to try out this whole invincibility claim, but I realized, he _had_ told me. _He'd told me._

"I, ah," he said, suddenly less the suave demon and more the uncomfortable guy who'd gotten caught. "I...asked Al for advice this morning."

"_Advice...? _ From _AL?_"

"Yes, Al," he retorted defensively. "Al's older than I. And he was my _yazataksh._ And he's had a bond with a female before. Who else am I gonna ask?"

"Well, I guess, but..._Al?_" It was still a weird idea. "I thought you couldn't stand him." Ash shrugged, as if it didn't matter a whit. "And...he told you to tell me the truth?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Of course not, he told me to lie my ass off until I was certain of you." He ran a hand through his hair in an unconscious gesture of awkwardness. "Everything I've done since you claimed me in court, I've done to get you into this position. Take this last step and we'll both be bound until we mutually agree to part- which, as I've said, I never intend to allow."

"Oh." I considered this. Ash was giving away his endgame before he got there? Not much like him, was it...? "What changed your mind?"

"You did. Earlier." Oh my god, was Ash blushing? It was hard to tell. "When you started going on about working together and compromise and all that shit. When you said you...you were willing to work with me. I thought, you know, if there was a chance you'd actually _choose_ this, um, bond, with me, then I should...well..._let _you."

I just stared at him in astonishment. Seriously?

He finally looked up and met my gaze again, going for a modicum of his usual confident swagger. "It'd make my final victory that much more rewarding." His attempt fell flat. But it made my little mortal heart go pitter-pat all the same. He was giving me a choice. For that alone I could almost forgive him nearly anything. I almost wanted to hug him and thank him. Almost.

Instead, I smacked him upside the head, a gesture that would have only been improved if I'd had a rolled-up newspaper handy for the task.

"_That's_ for even fucking _considering_ not telling me!" I growled.

He just sat there, a slight wince on his face, certain he'd just blown it completely. "It was probably doomed to fail anyw-"

"Oh, shut up," I said, climbing onto the bed beside him, then straddling him. His face was frozen with surprise, lips parted in confusion. "You're wrecking the rhythm. This is the part where I say, _and this is for telling me the truth_." I kissed him, slowly, twining fingers into his hair. He sat stunned for a moment even after I pulled back.

"You...don't want to rip me apart?" he said. "You're not pissed off?"

"Furious," I said, clenching my fingers into a fist. He hissed as it yanked his hair- or perhaps it was because I'd just ground myself against his groin teasingly. "And I am going to take it out of your hide one...piece...at a...time." I emphasized my words with bites along his neck, hard bites that were equal parts anger and passion. Therese was at the wheel now, and Ash gave a sudden shudder, not resisting in the slightest. "You will tell me exactly how to bind you to me, _familiar,_ and I will decide when- and_ if_- you deserve it."

Ash breathed a curse, but still didn't fight. He didn't mind this at all, I found, for he was already responding in a way he couldn't hide. "Blood exchange," he said, already breathless.

I stopped. "I thought that was for conceiving," I said, suspicious.

"First step," he said, his hands now gripping my hips as if to make me stop my movements against him, but I was firmly in control now. I kissed him again, feeling my own heat rising in me. "More to it," he panted between kisses, "But it's coming. Your heat. You'll know."

"And then...?" My own voice was unsteady now. I hadn't intended anything other than tormenting him, but I found that taking the role of seductress was amazingly arousing. I'd never tried seducing my demon before. I'd never tried seducing _anyone_ before. Why hadn't I? Probably because Ash was voracious enough that I'd never had a chance to.

"Just...do what I did," he gasped, burying his face in my neck.

"That's it...?" I pulled back. He didn't get to bite me, not yet.

"That's it."

I inhaled his familiar scent, fingers tangling further into his hair so he couldn't draw away. Not that he was trying to escape. Instead he drew me into a painfully fierce embrace and held me close as our tongues danced and our scents mingled with the scent of sex. I drank him in, anger forgotten, and unexpectedly I felt a trickle of emotion that wasn't my own. Amazed, I realized that Ash had opened his side of the familiar bond just a crack, enough to send out a small, tentative tendril of emotion. It couldn't have been faked, not through our familiar bond. He was cautiously reaching out in a way he'd never done, to me or possibly anyone before. I latched on to it like a lifeline. It wasn't all possessive, manipulating demon bullshit after all. There was more than just fucking _satisfaction_ there. And he was just as bewildered by it as I was.

I kissed him again, less desperately but just as fervently. His tight embrace loosened as his hands began caressing my back and hair, but I captured his arms and pressed them down again, slipping off his lap. He let me, giving me a quiet bemused chuckle that turned into a soft groan as I kissed down his jaw and focused on his neck. I drew my tongue over his skin, thoroughly indulging in his familiar taste and scent. Teasing the soft flesh, I made him shiver with a warm, "Mine," breathed into his ear. After spending some time kissing, nipping, and biting his neck, I moved down, drawing my tongue over the five scars on his chest. I paused.

"Ash, show me how to do this right." He complied willingly, and was soon arching and writhing as I mouthed my mark, kindling it into blazing life. He groaned as my hand slipped between his legs, exploring and caressing as I worked the magic on his chest. I looked up at him and smiled wickedly, capturing his lips again. He had his eyes shut tight, but they flew open when I sent a tingle of line from his lips straight down to his groin, building it slowly but steadily.

"You've...been paying attention, I see," he gasped after I let up.

"I have an excellent tutor," I murmured. He made as if to get up, but I nipped that in the bud, pinning him in place with a growl of warning. He just gave me a wondering look before closing his eyes to enjoy it. He was very happy to sit quiescent and indulge me, especially when I began to kiss further down his belly, nuzzling the soft dark hairs there. I deliberately ignored the engorged evidence that my seduction was working, instead sliding lips down to the sensitive skin over his hipbone and following it down to the even more sensitive junction between thigh and groin. His scent was different here, strong, heady, masculine and sweet, and I spent some time exploring him with lips and tongue until he began to groan with frustration.

"Damn it, Evie, you're going to make _me _beg, aren't you?" he gasped after I passed over him again with only a playful, tantalizing warm breath on his throbbing manhood.

I groaned at the delicious thought of Ash begging me, lost in lust. "Tempting..." I said, lazily drawing my tongue wetly up his hard length, base to tip. He swore and bucked under me, clenching hands in my hair. But I'd teased him long enough to suit me, and swirled my tongue over the velvety skin of his tip. I'd never done this before, actually, but I had a pretty good idea of how to go about it. I tasted his essence for the first time, musky and slightly bitter but not at all unpleasant. Tentatively, my lips enclosed him and I was rewarded with a strangled, panting groan as I slid further down. I moved entirely on instinct, letting his reactions guide me and allowing his desperate grip on my hair to set the pace he wanted. Giving him this much pleasure was intoxicating and empowering-

I sneezed suddenly, barely managing to lift my head in time so I didn't bite anything I shouldn't. "Fuck. You've _got_ to be _kidding_." I sneezed again as Ash began to swear, loudly and colorfully.

_Adrian._ I'd completely forgotten Adrian was going to summon me when the sun set in California! Sure enough, the gut-churning sensation of a summons was tugging insistently at my innards.

"You're being fucking _summoned?_!" Ash's frustrated disappointment was almost a physical thing. "_Now?_" He began to beat his head against the pillow as I rolled out of bed and realized that not only was I naked, but I had no clothing handy. "Who the hell else knows your name? I swear to fucking Hades, I will rip them apart!"

"Ash? A little help here?" Still swearing, he gave me an uncomprehending look. "Unless you don't mind me showing up naked in someone's circle?"

Grumbling, he dragged himself loose of the tangle of sheets, stalking over to me and slamming me against his hot, eager body. "This is _not _over," he growled angrily, following up with a kiss that was so passionate that I started calculating how long it would take before the summoning became unbearable, just in case there was a chance of finishing up here. But reluctantly, he stepped back, as ever-after coated us both and left us completely clothed in perfectly normal-looking shirts and jeans. Ash looked fresh and cool as a daisy, all evidence of his arousal gone.

I, on the other hand, was still a hot, hormonal mess. Damn, damn, _damn_! "Believe me, I'm not too happy about this, either. But it shouldn't take too long. I'll give you a call-"

"Call? Hell, no. You will summon me the moment you get there."

"Oh, no. Not if you're planning on shredding my summoner," I said, voice strained as another insistent wave of nausea rippled through me. "Adrian's cool." Ash took a second look at me, at my flushed face and sex-hair, and his eyes narrowed as he got a whiff of me. Apparently unwilling to let me loose to visit another male in such a state, he relented and tossed his cold-shower curse at me. I have to say, it was a relief.

"All right, I'll play nice. But I mean it, I've had enough of you wandering reality without me, especially if you're going to play with the Coven. Bring me over the moment you get there."

Part of me wanted to protest, but the other part of me wasn't all that sanguine about wandering into a nest of angry elves and Coven witches either, even with Rachel as backup. Why the hell not? Besides, it'd be amusing to see the look on Adrian's face. "All ri-." A final burst of pain took my breath away and I let myself go.


	78. Evie Kicks Ass, Revisited

_Okay, I'm not sure why, but I'm not getting notifications from FFN lately. Not even updates of other stories. Occasionally I get an email about a review 2-3 days later. Half of the time I can't even access my story stats. Also, I'm having a devil of a time updating this story. Could it be too long? What gives? :(_

_Thanks again to everyone taking the time to write to me. I'm going through a stressful time and it's affecting my creativity, so every little bit of encouragement is very, very appreciated!  
_

**In Which Evie and Ash Watch TV With the Coven**

I reformed in an unfamiliar basement. A circle had been permanently etched into the concrete floor, and shimmered all around me. I guess Adrian was being cautious, for all the good it'd do him. There he was, in all his gawky, sheepish glory, two other Coven members fidgeting edgily behind him. I recognized Amanda and Vivian, wrinkling their noses at the burnt amber stink I'd brought with me. I thanked my stars that Oliver wasn't along for the ride. He was about as old school as you can get.

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire?" Vivian said skeptically.

"At your service, O Masters of the Coven," I said with a sarcastic bow. "How about letting me out of here?"

Adrian made a move to break the circle, but was stopped by Vivian. "What are you doing? You don't just _let _a demon out of a circle without at least a promise of safety!"

"Sounds good to me," I said. "If you promise I'll be safe, I'll come out."

"For _us_, not _you_," she snapped, irritation crinkling her brow. Between my sassing her at my hearing, and Rachel pretty much kicking her ass to the curb when Vivian had been sent to retrieve her a few years ago, I had the feeling that she wasn't going to join the demon women fan club any time soon.

"For the love of Pete, I'm not going to take on the Coven. Anyway, I owe Adrian a favor. It's _Ash _you should watch out for." With his name went my unspoken mental invitation, as I was just irritated enough to give them all a good scare. They blinked at me, nonplussed, as Ash materialized silently behind them, arms folded, grinning at me. "You've got the wrong demon circled."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ash said, and the three witches spun and gaped and shoved each other in their panic to scuttle away from him. "They obviously don't know you as well as I do."

"Come on, I've only tried to kill you twice. _And _you deserved it both times. Please be careful with him," I added, as he reached out and snagged a fleeing Adrian by the shirt collar. The young man made a pitiful noise, but Ash merely pointed him at his circle and gave him a gentle shove. The circle broke and I steadied the terrified witch. "It's all right," I reassured Adrian, "Ash promised to be good. He knows the _consequences_ of misbehaving." I gave Ash my most significant of looks, licking my lips, and I swear Ash nearly went pale at the implication of what he had to lose out on.

"That's hitting below the belt, woman!" he complained.

"Demons play dirty," I said with a shrug and a grin, as he came to stand beside me.

The witches had gathered in a cluster in the open doorway. "You brought your demon master with you?" Vivian asked nastily. "And you have the gall to ask for a revocation of your shunning?"

I shrugged again. "I'm his familiar. According to demon law he has the right to keep tabs on me." I didn't mention that it went both ways, or that technically I owned him...I highly doubted any of that would help my case. If there was any chance of getting my shunning removed, I'd give it a shot. It would make my brief excursions to reality that much more pleasant, not to mention opening the possibility of conducting future business arrangements with the witch community.

Ash grinned and put a casual arm around my waist. I let him, even if it earned us a couple of raised eyebrows. "So what adventures do you have planned for us tonight?" he asked eagerly.

"Uh," Adrian said, so thrown by Ash's unexpected appearance and nonchalance that he was having trouble parsing Ash's question.

"We can't bring him along," Vivian hissed, and Amanda nodded in agreement. "We'll be talking to elves! They won't allow a demon anywhere near them!"

"Um, what about _me_?" I asked. "If I'm going to chat with a bunch of elves, I want a bodyguard. You do know what the elves did to the demon women, right? And what they tried to do to me? There's no fucking way I'm going _without _Ash."

This led to a brief whispered discussion, of which of course Ash could hear every word. He was grinning rather manically, thoroughly enjoying himself. "This is going to be fun," he said, in a fine mood.

"Do anything to screw up my chances of getting un-shunned and you'll be eating your own liver," I said, just as sweet as can be.

Ash looked askance at me. "I see you had a good conversation with Newt. She, ah, didn't teach you that curse, did she?"

I just put on a mysterious smile. "You want to find out?"

Ash straightened and put on his imaginary halo. "I'll be good."

Eventually we were led upstairs to a large dining room, the table laden with papers, books, and a particularly old tome that reeked of burnt amber. Ash immediately went over to take a look at it, ignoring Adrian's tentative protest. Adrian quickly swept the pile to one side and offered me a seat, opening his mouth to protest again as Ash vanished into the kitchen. The demon came out a moment later with a bunch of bananas and a big grin. "Um...help yourself," Adrian stammered as Ash began to peel his prize.

Nobody else seemed interested in sitting down, but I wasn't about to get up again. I sat back and tried to look comfortable here, in Adrian's bachelor pad being glared at by half of the Coven. "Soooo...will you tell me what this is all about, and why you've all been busy blaming _me _for this tragedy?"

"_We_ haven't been!" Adiran exclaimed, even as Vivian and Amanda looked uncomfortable. "It was Oliver's doing...he saw the footage and fingered you immediately. Even when I told him that you didn't do it, and the elves came by asking us for a locator charm their missing girl. He said, what was more likely, that forty people were killed by a teenager who had never shown much promise even with earth charms, or by a shunned witch known to consort with demons who'd damaged a hospital the day before?"

"Well, when you put it _that _way..." I grumbled, thinking that I knew which story I'd believe first. "But give me a truth amulet. I can prove it wasn't me."

Adrian began to protest that it wasn't necessary, but the others were scowling and Ash cleared his throat, so he quickly dug into a bag and produced one. I took it and stated clearly, "I had absolutely nothing to do with the destruction of the research lab."

To my shock, the amulet glowed red. So did my face, a moment later. _Aw, fuuuuuuck. _ "Let me rephrase that...I did not directly blow up the research lab, nor did I actively encourage anyone to do so, nor did I have any knowledge of it before this morning." To my relief, the amulet returned to placid green. I handed it back to Adrian and promptly slumped until my head hit the table. Ash smothered a chuckle with a banana. I beat it there softly for a moment, seeing my un-shunning flying out the window and wondering how the hell I could explain all this in a manner that didn't make me sound, well, demonic.

"You, uh, want to explain what just happened...?" Adrian asked, not unkindly.

"_No,_" I said, and the amulet glowed such a bright green that for a moment the entire room looked as sick as I felt.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ash said, though he was grinning fit to bust.

"Says _you,_ you ass," I replied, head in my hands. "It's complicated. Tell me about the elves. What did they want? Tell me what they told you and what you know, and then I'll tell you what I know."

"You're not in a position to—"

"Vivian...don't fuck with me, OK?" I said wearily. "Ash could zap us out of here in an instant. I'm here because I want to help. Well, that and to clear my name. But I'm not going to be treated like a criminal when I've done nothing wrong."

"What about the hospital!" Vivian protested.

"Did you even listen to him?" I asked, indicating Adrian. "He recorded exactly what happened. The only fucking spells I used were defensive. I was weak and drugged. Mostly I cowered in a circle while a psychotic elf tried to blast the place down around me."

"You _killed_ him!"

I couldn't reply past the sick lump rising in my gorge. I'd been pretty certain of it, but there was some part of me that still held out hope that I hadn't gone so far, that I'd only hurt him and he'd recover. But now it had been confirmed, I felt nothing but horror, so overwhelming that it felt like ages of smut were crawling over my soul. Oh god, I'd murdered someone. Killed a sentient person to save my own skin. My chest tightened and my heart began to race, but I hardly noticed. All I could see was the pale hair, floating in a puddle of scarlet blood, eyes staring blankly...

"I'm so, so sorry," I gasped, burying my head in my arms. "I didn't want to. I'm so sorry." I thought I might fly apart, I was shaking so dreadfully. Had it only been two days before? I'd managed to push it from my mind, but it had been circling vulture-like over my head, just waiting to suffocate me. God, those staring eyes, I couldn't stop seeing them! The panic took hold and I found myself choking with sobs. I lost track of everyone else in the room, forgot entirely that I was admitting my guilt in front of the Coven and probably embarrassing the hell out of Ash with my weakness.

To my surprise I felt someone slip an arm around my shoulders, someone who smelled of redwood. He jerked back at my violent start, and Ash hissed warningly through his teeth. The young witch withdrew quickly, but sat beside me anyway. "Hey, I was there, I've got the recording," Adrian said, voice shaky with discomfort. "You two should actually watch it before you get all righteously indignant at her," he snapped at Vivian and Amanda.

"She already lied- she threw the spell that burst through the wall of the bathroom."

"I did?" I didn't remember. I could barely remember the details of the fight. I recalled my terror, and that I couldn't keep my circle up- it kept falling. And Adrian staring uselessly. And being paralyzed, helpless, and that I'd bitten him and- "I don't remember details. I don't...I didn't want..." I fell back into silent shuddering sobs, wanting nothing more than to curl up alone somewhere far, far away.

I heard Ash hiss with annoyance again. "Way to go, ladies. I had to resort to irritatingly drastic measures when she came back traumatized the other evening, and I'm not about to lose yet another night putting her back together again. Go on, boy, show the recording. Evie, you watch the damned thing too."

I shook my head vigorously. Watch it? Not a chance.

_You'll watch it with your own eyes, or you'll watch it with mine,_ Ash whispered in my head. _Pull yourself together!_

_Fuck you._

_At least make sure you're feeling guilty for the right reasons, Beraxadtha._

_What does that word even mean?_

_Currently? "Bonehead."_

_Very funny._

In the end, I couldn't get out of it. Ignoring the appalled looks of the Coven members, Ash stood right behind me, slipped into my mind, and compelled me watch the whole thing. Part of me reluctantly agreed with the necessity, so I didn't fight him. Besides, besting him in front of the Coven wouldn't bode well for my chances of getting my shunning lifted. I certainly wasn't above a pity play in this case. I sighed and focused on the image, and on willing my heart to slow and my nerves to chill out.

Adrian's amulet projected a quarter-sized, three-dimensional image on the tabletop, in a bubble with a twelve-foot radius centered on the amulet. I was impressed, and even Ash looked appreciative of the complexity of the charm Adrian had invented. It even showed the bewildered faces of the people on the floor below as the fight broke out, which made Ash laugh heartily at an inappropriate time.

Watching the elf knock me out with his humming might have been embarrassing if my emotions weren't already maxed out with sick dread. Ash leaned forward to see the runes he traced, and gave a contemptuous laugh. "It's not the original curse," he said. "I suspected as much. They've diminished so much that they've forgotten it. No wonder they had to resort to science to fix Rachel Mariana Morgan."

"What is it, then?" Amanda asked curiously.

I felt Ash shrug. "Sterilization. But my clever familiar had already protected herself with an otherwise useless contraception charm, so it got all tangled together instead of doing its job. Ah, here he comes."

Adrian burst in and the fight began. I heard nothing but the pounding of the blood in my ears, numbly watching with icy face and fingers as my weakened, drugged, barely-dressed self launched herself out of the bed and fought back. I heard Adrian hiss as he was smacked around, heard Vivian gasp as Shane prepared to take out the young witch. Heard Ash make an exasperated noise when I broke my circle to save him, then let out a satisfied breath when I repelled my attacker.

I saw two things that will never leave me. I saw the murderous fury of the elf, face twisted with a primal hatred, and knew, again, that I'd be dead if I hadn't acted. But I also saw my own face as I let Therese rise to the surface, and she made the decision to use deadly force. She was savage, furious, and merciless- but there was no glee or bloodlust there. No satisfaction or triumph when she'd succeeded, only sick horror. And amazingly, she kept it together, gathering her wits enough to convince Adrian to help her survive the aftermath.

Ash let me close my eyes for the rest of it, though Adrian cut it off before the part where I gave him my summoning name. I no longer had Shane's eyes staring blankly at me- now they were full of the savage fury that had moved him, and the grim determination of my own expression as I killed him. The horror of it was still there, but any doubt I'd had about the necessity of the action was gone. _I'm going to have nightmares about this,_ I whispered sullenly to Ash, _but you were right, I needed to see that. Thank you._

_I'm right...? If only you'd said that out loud, so the witch could have recorded it, _Ash replied, mental voice teasing. Aloud, he said, "You're going to be one to watch, that's for certain. I'm impressed."

The other women were looking much more subdued. "It seems I owe you an apology," Vivian said, her voice only a little ungracious.

I took the paper towel that Adrian handed me and blew my nose. "Sure. Thanks. Give me a few minutes and we can talk about the research lab."

Ash drifted away and began to peel another banana, looking bored. After I returned from splashing my face with cold water, Adrian stuttered out a polite offer to get us drinks, coming back with a glass of water for me, sodas for the ladies, and a beer for Ash. The demon grinned happily and chugged it. He belched loudly, ignoring the disgusted looks Vivian and Amanda tossed him from the corner where they were conversing quietly with each other. I rolled my eyes, equal parts amused and irritated at him for spoiling my serious mood. _Ash, knock it off, I'm trying to angst over here._

_Bored. Bored bored bored bored bored! _

_Your concern for my mental well being is touching._

_When do we get to torment elves?_

_A-a-a-a-sh..._

_I meant, when do we talk to them, of course._

I sighed dramatically. The last thing I needed was a bored demon getting creative while trying to entertain himself. "All right, let's chat," I said, waving to the others. "Tell me what you know about a girl named Hope Hazelton."


	79. Yet Another Complication

_Now's where I'm going to sorta weave a few elements from PD in with my narrative..but in a very different pattern. The plot will be VERY different from the book, just borrowing some elements here and there. I'll try to leave out most of the details so as not to spoil anything important. The bit about the "day-walking demon assassin" is on the book's cover summary text, so I really don't think it counts as a spoiler!_

_And dang it, FFN! BEHAVE! :(_

**In Which Rachel Does Not Join In the Fun**

"First, where is she now?" Vivian asked suspiciously.

_Great... _"She's, um...look, you have to understand that Hope nearly died last night. A demon saved her life-"

"The demon kidnapped her?" Vivian asked angrily.

"Not...exactly." I sighed. "Look, I'll tell you what I know if you tell me about Hope, first."

"Is there any chance of getting her back?" Amanda asked. "Any at all?"

"No. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. A demon saved her. You all know what that means."

Everyone looked at Ash, who paused with half of a banana sticking out of his mouth. Three peels lay discarded on the floor beside him. "Wha?" he mumbled around it, then swallowed.

"Is there anything_ he _can do?" Adrian asked, indicating Ash with a nod.

"What are you offering in exchange?" Ash asked, looking interested.

I flashed him a warning glare, which he ignored in favor of stuffing the other half of the banana into his mouth all at once, chewing happily. "No, there isn't. Unless you know what Zaebos's deal was...?" I reconsidered our bargains with Newt. "No, I take that back. It doesn't matter now. She belongs to Newt, and there's nothing anyone can do now."

The three Coven witches looked at me blankly. I stared back- they didn't know who Newt was? "Who's Zaebos?" Adrian finally asked.

"And who's Newt?" added Amanda.

"Newt's...well, she's kind of the—"

"She? There aren't any more female demons!" Vivian snapped. "Before you and Rachel, I mean."

"Wrong, there's one left, and she's, well..." I wanted to say she was a few knights short of a crusade, but I wasn't even sure I should have mentioned her in the first place.

"Not someone you want to piss off," Ash said, starting on banana number four. Wow. I guess he liked bananas. I'd never seen any actual living trees in the Ever After, though, so maybe fresh fruit was a novelty. I added it to my mental list of things demons might pay good money for. "And Zaebos? I haven't heard anything about him in years. He's an odd duck, even for a demon."

The Coven ladies were whispering to each other again, and Adrian just looked worried. "This is bad," he said. "The elves are really pissed off at you to begin with, Evie, and if you tell them you let this Newt character run off with Hope..."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "_They're_ pissed off at _me_? Who attacked whom?" I was about to add to my tirade when I sneezed. Oddly, Ash sneezed at about the same time. We gave each other a curious look as Ash gestured and summoned a large, ornately etched calling mirror to answer his call. He ignored the wary stares of the other witches, his face growing stormy as he conducted his silent conversation with whoever was on the other end.

"Uh...what are you two doing...?" Adrian asked finally.

"The sneezing thing...it means someone's trying to get in touch with me. I'm pretty sure it's Rachel- I promised her I'd bring her along." _And I'd totally forgotten, hadn't I? Ash is one hell of a distraction_. I sneezed again with a chagrined expression, watching Ash's face grow very blank indeed. "Uh, Ash...?"

The demon straightened, removing his hand from the mirror, expression hard and distant. _Quiet, I need to think._

I took the opportunity to snag the heavy glass, eager to stop sneezing. _Hello...?_

_Evie? You're going to have to take care of this Hope thing on your own, OK? Something else came up that's even worse. _

_Worse...?_ _I don't like the sound of that..._

_Just tell me you're nowhere near St. Louis?_

_Huh? No, I'm in California. Why?_

_Turn on the news._ Rachel's thoughts were terribly grim. _Al says he thinks it might have been Pierce's doing, because who else would know about the demon imprisoned there? But I think it was Nick- only Nick's a big enough bastard to cause such havoc. Maybe they're working together? Anyway, this demon is different- stronger than usual and not bound by the Ever After. A day-walker._

_Seriously? Shit._

_Evie, it's heading for Cincy. I have to stay here and see what I can do. But Trent also told me that the elves will flip out when they hear about Hope, so you've got to tell them what happened. If this new demon causes any damage to any of their holdings, well...neither the elves nor the demons are in any shape to continue a war, but they will. You have to try to work it out before it gets too out of hand, and I'll see if I can stop this new demon from doing any damage._

_Yeah, sure...I'll do what I can. _I'm sure Rachel would have liked me to sound a lot more confident, but the truth was that I had little confidence that the elves would give a damn about anything_ I_ had to say. Maybe if I apologized real nicely for killing Shane?

_Good luck, Evie...stay in touch if you can. _

_Good luck to you too, Rachel._ _Call if you need extra help with this thing, though, OK? _But I'd paused a moment too long before that second sentence, and Rachel had already disconnected.

I took my hand from the mirror, looking at Ash. Ash was still lost in thought, eyes narrowed. "Ash...?"

He shook himself free of his reverie, focusing on me with narrowed eyes. "I take it Rachel Mariana Morgan informed you of the latest complication?" I nodded, and he folded his arms, glaring at me malevolently. I knew him well enough to know his anger wasn't directed at me- I could feel it through our bond- but the witches took a few wary steps away from the demon, glancing between us nervously. "Al is a fool to allow her to confront him."

"Does she have a chance of stopping him...?"

He shrugged. "I'd say no, but Rachel Mariana Morgan is rather amazingly resilient and resourceful. Perhaps Al has instructed her well enough to give her a fighting chance." He wasn't going to say what was really on his mind, but I knew I could pry it out of him later.

I explained the gist of the conversation to the impatient Coven members, and they all looked aghast. "This is why we need to start rethinking our stance on black magic," Adrian said reluctantly. "How could any of our white spells stand up to a day-walking demon who doesn't need to be summoned?"

Ash snorted. "Your little black spells wouldn't stand up to this one, either," he said bluntly, as Vivian and Amanda began to protest angrily. "And before you ask, _no_. It's not my problem."

_It is if Nick's involved,_ I thought at him, as the two women sent Adrian to the computer in the next room to fetch the details from the internet.

_Do you have proof of that?_

_Well...no._

_Not my problem, then. Get on with the elf business. I want to get us back into the Ever After before he senses us here._

_That bad...?_

_Worse._

I sighed. "Rachel made a good point- I'll need to talk to the elves to see what the story with Hope is. She was marked by Zaebos as a child, so obviously someone else has a deal going with him that isn't going to be settled properly now. And I want to get the Shane business settled- at the very least so I know whether I have to worry about more assassination attempts!" I settled back on the chair, though now Ash had lost all traces of his former good humor and hovered behind me like a surly vulture. I glared at Vivian and Amanda. "Will you _please_ answer my question? What do _you _know about Hope?"

A long silence followed my question as the two witches again looked at each other uncomfortably. "This is going to be a bit anticlimactic, but...we don't really know much at all. But Ms. Withon will. She's on her way to speak to you."

"Ellasbeth Withon?" I guessed, and they looked surprised. I just smiled mysteriously, letting them wonder how the hell I'd known.

"All we know is that Hope was working at the research lab, under the supervision of Dr. Aiden Fain. Dr. Fain and his lab were working on the elven genome problem. Fain is also related to the Withons. So are the Hazeltons- the foster family who raised Hope. As you've probably guessed, they're all elves. We don't actually know who Hope's birth parents are, though we know she's a witch."

"Not a witch. Hope told me she was fixed, like Rachel," I said. "Cured of the Rosewood syndrome by the elves. She's a demon."

I'd expected the Coven witches had already known that, so it was rather a shock when they both gasped and reacted with alarm. Vivian grabbed Amanda and said, "Please excuse us," before practically yanking the woman's arm off towing her out of the room.

"Oooooo-kay...?" I said to the empty table. "_That_ was unexpected..."

Ash made a very grumpy sound behind me. "Why does this entire thing reek of elven treachery?"

"Which part, Hope or the day-walking demon?"

Ash cursed in some bastardized version of Latin. "I can't fucking believe it. Some idiot released _Ku'Sox_? Wait until the Ever After hears about this. They'll be simply fucking _thrilled_. "

"Who is he?"

"An embarrassing mistake. I'll tell you about him sometime. Just..." He paused, then ordered, "Yvette Therese Sinclaire, I forbid you to go anywhere near him. Are you listening to me?"

Irritated at the order, I turned in my seat, glancing up at Ash curiously. "Why? Afraid I'll trade up?" I asked playfully.

Ash's eyes flashed with a furious, jealous rage. Pain shot through the scar on my chest, catching me off guard with its intensity and just about knocking me off my chair. I gasped and swallowed a wail, but I couldn't stop the tears flooding my eyes. _All right, knock it off! I was only teasing!_ I protested, unable to draw breath to speak it aloud.

"This is not a laughing matter, Yvette," Ash said, fingers clenched in my hair. "Ku'Sox is more powerful than you can imagine, and...damaged. He was trained by Newt, and he's twice as insane. You won't be able to defend yourself, not with your mental scars. If he finds out about you…stay away from him!"

I gasped again as he eased up on his punishment, anger creeping in to push the pain back. "Isn't that what I've got _you_ for?" I demanded angrily. "Aren't I your possession, Mister _I'll stalk you anywhere and kill anyone who looks at you funny_?" Ash's anger made my mark flare again, but not before I realized that he wasn't angry, not really. He was worried- he wasn't sure he could protect me from this guy. Holy shit. Was this day-walker THAT bad-ass that even Ash was afraid of him? The pain was getting to me, making me feel queasy. "Ow, Ash, quit it!" I gasped, now clutching my chest where the pain burned like a hot iron brand, then caved. "I'm sorry, all right? Stop fucking hurting me or I swear I'll—"

The pain abruptly vanished, and Ash strode away from me to glare out the window at the cool Californian evening. He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to relax. Dang. I'd really gotten to him. _Note to self, Evie, don't poke the demon! _ "You have no idea what he's capable of. And if it turns out you're right about Nicholas Gregory Sparagmos's involvement..." Ash folded his arms. "We will return to the Ever After until this is sorted. Come."

"No!" I stood and gave him my own stubborn pose. "I want to get this elf thing taken care of!"

"It's not important."

"Ash, you fucking _promised _you wouldn't do anything that'd make it harder for me to get un-shunned. Don't you dare take us home now!" Ash stared at me stonily, unmoved. "Besides, Rachel said he's headed for Cincinnati. We're on the other side of the continent!"

Ash returned to glaring out the window, sourly noting, "And if he _does_ return to the Ever After, he has a better chance of encountering us there. Perhaps you're right."

There was a long silence. "He's really that bad…?" I asked softly.

"Worse," Ash replied, but wouldn't elaborate further.

I approached him, putting an arm on his shoulder. "Ash. Relax. If you tell me to stay away, I'll stay away. I'm not an idiot."

He was tense as a coiled spring under my touch, but he didn't otherwise react, not even to look at me. "You're bound to me, Evie. He'd kill me in an instant if he decided he wanted you."

I blinked in surprise. "He could _do _that?"

Ash shrugged. "Maybe." _Oh._ OK, that made more sense. He wasn't necessarily worried about protecting _me_, he was more worried about his _own_ skin. I rolled my eyes. At least Ash was predictable. A hero, however, he was most certainly not. "And...I didn't intend to hurt you. Just now."

It was a blatant lie, and I wondered why he'd said it. Then I thought, _Was that an apology? No, but you can almost see one on the horizon, if you look hard enough. _ I found myself more amused than anything else, and suggested, "Have you changed your mind about this whole binding thing, then? You could always set me free, anytime...only takes a little curse…"

Ash gave me a baleful glare. "Now I _know _you're just trying to piss me off. Don't push your luck, wench."

I snorted. "Love you too," I replied sarcastically. "Creep."


	80. The Ice Princess

**In Which Ellasbeth Shows Her True Colors**

Ellasbeth Withon was one of the most beautiful, poised, and icy women I'd ever met up close. Despite her advanced pregnancy, she still looked as cool and coiffed and professionally manicured as any frosty elven princess could. Her glare was up close and personal, even though she managed to come across as speaking disdainfully at me from a great mental distance, as if even her voice were afraid of contamination. Her entourage fawned all around her, all as pale and icy as she- with the addition of incongruous Men-In-Black suits, dark glasses, and fingers fondling painfully obvious concealed sidearms.

To say that I really did not like this woman would be an understatement. To say she clearly disapproved of me would imply that she had the ability to _approve _of anyone who wasn't an elf- which I doubted, seeing the lines of contempt already engraved in the corners of her nose and mouth. I hoped she'd at least approve of her own kid- waking up to that sneer would spoil anyone's childhood.

My hopes of being able to crack her façade and alter the predetermined outcome of this interview were even lower than my hopes of Ash suddenly turning into Prince Charming. (Or barring that, a toad.) Oh, well. If I could face down demons and helicopter parents blaming me for their kid failing my classes, I could probably face down an elven princess.

"And why were you present when the child was kidnapped, Miss Sinclaire?" she demanded.

Man, this interview was uncomfortable enough without Ash smirking in the background and shoving inappropriate observations into my head. I tried to inconspicuously elbow him in the gut as I replied, "I told you. I was looking for someone else, and that someone was looking for Hope, and Hope was lost in the lines. It was a total accident. I'm sorry, but the outcome would've been the same even if I hadn't been there."

"Tell me what happened to the girl. Be precise- it is vital that I know exactly what to expect."

Rachel and Trent had given me the impression that honesty would be the best policy, but I really felt that the whole marking business didn't need to be known. Not unless it would somehow affect the final outcome. "I will, but only if you promise me you'll explain what this whole business is about. I know I can't get her back, but I might be able to do something on your behalf with Zaebos."

Ellasbeth flinched at the name, eyes narrowed. "And how do you know how he is involved in this?" she asked, unable to hide that I'd really shocked her.

"I'm not blind- I could see his mark on her. So…?"

"You are not in a position to demand anything," she said, tilting her head and somehow managing to amp her disdain to eleven.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Ash, you want to take us home?"

"Gladly," he said, even as Ellasbeth's guards raised their weapons in unison. I could hear the anticipatory smile in Ash's voice. "Please, go ahead and take a shot at us. I haven't had the opportunity to use the really _nasty_ curses in ages."

Ellasbeth quickly raised her hand, managing to look both regal and panicked. The observing Coven members had also jumped to their feet, though there was apparently some confusion as to which of us needed circling. Ash and I were in Adrian's circle, Amanda was in her own, and Vivian was being ungently encouraged to break her circle around Ellasbeth by one of the elven guards.

"P-put the weapons down!" Adrian said.

"Dammit!" Vivian snapped, much more vehemently. "This is the neutral ground you requested, Withon! Put the guns away or I'll—"

"I am not going to be unarmed in the presence of demon-spawn," she replied.

"Can I have a gun, then?" Ash asked.

"You're not helping," I growled at him.

"It's not like the guns are a threat," he said reassuringly. "I've just never held one before. They look so cool."

_Oh, brother._ "All you have to do is give us the simple information we're asking for, sheesh!" I said, frustrated.

"So you can sell it to the highest bidder?" she snapped back.

"So I can…Oh, for the love of Pete, woman, I don't have time for this shit. Seriously. _You_ might not deserve my help, but Hope does. I'm trying to look out for the kid _your_ people apparently decided to dangle as demon bait. So send your hellhounds or whatever. I'll plaster my evidence that every single attack on me was done by elves, and was unprovoked, all over the evening news. And I do have it, thanks to my friend here. So cut the bullshit- if you want my information, you'll tell me what I want to know."

Ellasbeth was clearly unused to being denied her way. "And I will tell all the world that you're a demon!"

"I think the world would give less of a damn about that, seeing as I'm already shunned and considered demon-napped. I couldn't care less, frankly. So, one more time: will you just tell us the deal involving Hope and Zee, or do Ash and I go home and fire up the barbecue for when you send your dreaded cursed dogs?"

Ellasbeth's lips were white, and the security guards were looking even more ominously angry. But she suppressed her first two responses and finally said, "All right, demon, I agree to your terms. What, exactly, has happened to Hope and how do we get her back?"

I explained the story, everything from hearing of the attack to hearing that the Ever After's most powerful demon had gone missing. There was some confusion regarding which day-walking demon I was referring to, but Ash reassured them that the trouble in St. Louis had nothing to do with this matter. I hoped like hell he was right. I explained the conversation with Newt over what had happened to Hope, and the repercussions of her reanimation on her memory, and finally that Newt had claimed her and taken her willingly away.

I watched Ellasbeth closely during my rendition, and was both disturbed and angry that her only reaction to hearing of Hope's near death and amnesia was a distinct annoyance, rather than concern for the girl's well being. But the news of Hope now belonging to the most powerful demon of the Ever After made her turn even more pale than she already was. She swallowed audibly, eyes wide with sudden fear, hand moving to cover her belly protectively.

When she didn't say anything for several long moments, I added, "So it does have something to do with your baby, doesn't it?"

That snapped her out of her shock, as she fixed me with an expression of hatred that encompassed not only demonkind, but anyone who threatened her child. She didn't answer.

"Should I just make a guess?" I asked, and continued before she had a chance to respond. "You were worried that Trent wouldn't get the cure in time, so you made a deal with the devil. If Zee could help fix your child, you'd fix a demon child- specifically a female- and give her to him. Only Trent _did_ get the cure. So even though you could have broken the deal, you kept Hope around anyway, so that you could perhaps change the deal if and when he demanded his due. Zee doesn't know you're pregnant yet, does he?"

Ellasbeth was speechless, her pale face incredulous. "How _could_ you….?" she said finally, voice quavering with rage. "How dare you imply that _I_ would make such a bargain? That's….to even think of something so outrageous? It's simply…_demonic_."

"How ironic," I said. "Seeing as it wasn't my idea at all, but another elf's. I'd _never_ have believed someone would do that, myself."

"Oh, _I_ would have. Elves are known for their rather... _unique_ moral outlook on baby-napping," Ash said sweetly, and all the elves shifted in agitation.

I actually heard Ellasbeth grind her teeth as she growled, "Trent."

"You think?" I asked cheerfully. "So what's the real story, then?"

For the first time, Ellasbeth looked less like a perfect marble statue and more like a living woman as a blotchy blush spotted her cheeks. "I…I'm not sure," she said finally.

I glanced at the truth amulet on the table, and to my surprise, she wasn't lying. "You're not sure?" I repeated.

"No," she said angrily. "Those who made the deal were murdered! Did you even ask Hope why she killed them?"

I blinked. "You honestly think that girl knew what she was doing? I can tell you the answer to that one- of course she didn't! It was completely accidental, a side effect of her demon heritage, and _she_ nearly died, too."

"But did she _tell you_ that?"

"Well….no," I admitted. "But the same thing happened to me, once. Hope doesn't actually remember the incident."

"Then you know nothing of her or her character, or indeed what she was doing prior to blowing up that building," she snapped, and I realized that she was right. But still, I couldn't picture the confused kid I'd met just going ahead and blowing up a building for the hell of it!

"All right, no. I don't."

Ellasbeth glanced again at her perfectly rounded belly, looking vulnerable for a moment. "I am absolutely certain of one detail." She took a deep breath, jaw working for a moment before she got the words out. "If Zaebos finds out about my pregnancy, and we can't give him what we owe him…he'll take my daughter." Her eyes met mine, and I felt my own heartstrings give a tug when I realized that her entire façade had been fueled by terror and despair, knowing the only way she could save her child was to plead with her enemies. To make her own deal with a demon. "I _can't_ let that happen. I'll…do anything."


	81. Dealing With Elves

_Yay! I count on the story stats for my fix, and they were down for days…but they're back, now!_

**In Which Surprising Elven Customs are Considered  
**

The moment was ruined when Ash snorted with contempt. "Woman, don't you know better than to say, "I'll do anything?" to a fucking demon?"

Ellasbeth's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but she didn't rise to the bait. "I wasn't asking _you,_" she told Ash coolly. "But...Trent said I might be able to reason with _you_, Miss Sinclaire."

I was too busy feeling horrified. "He'll steal your baby? That's...that's..."

"Standard boilerplate for long-term deals like this," Ash said. "It ensures compliance. Of course we don't want the _baby,_ we want our end of the deal. Mothers are so easily manipulated where their children are concerned." He cocked his head, gazing at Ellasbeth with disinterested curiosity. "We never bothered using that strategy with elves, though- they used to swap their spawn for all manner of things."

"Ash. Shut. Up!" I growled, as Ellasbeth's eyes went wide and bright with emotion.

"Evie, don't let her get to you," Ash said, completely unconcerned. "Her family made a deal and they screwed it up. It's not your problem."

"Ash!" I finally turned toward him, totally forgetting that I was supposed to be his shrinking little familiar. "I don't give a flying damn what elves used to do, I'm not letting _any _demon, let alone _Zee_, take this woman's baby if I can help it. That's just sick."

Ash just chuckled. "Go on and ask the ice princess here if she's willing to turn herself over to Zee instead of her child. I think you might be surprised."

"I don't care, it's not an option! Zee hasn't actually fulfilled his side either, right?"

We both looked at Ellasbeth for confirmation. Ellasbeth's eyes were still wide, but now the emotion included flat out astonishment at my defense of her and defiance of Ash. Her mouth trembled as she kept herself together, the barest hint of hope touching her brows. "I don't know," she whispered. "I just don't know!"

Ash was unimpressed and unmoved. "Evie, we have more serious things to worry about than an elf who's in over her head," he insisted.

"_You_ have more serious things to worry about. _My_ priorities are Hope and my shunning."

"Please...isn't there any way you can retrieve Hope for us? We can give you more than ample compensation for your efforts on our behalf," Ellasbeth said, then realized she'd made a mistake when I glared at her.

"Money? You want to _pay_ me to bring Hope back so you can turn her over to Zee to save your kid? NOT happening. We'll find another way to resolve this, without turning _anyone _over to Zee, or anyone else."

"So you would just leave Hope with this Newt person?" Ellasbeth said, shocked.

"I told you, there's not a damned thing I can do about that. Especially since Hope voluntarily _chose_ to go with Newt. To be honest...Hope might be with the only being in the world who understands her condition now." I gave the elf a penetrating stare, trying to see what kind of person she really was. I didn't get far. Like Trent, I had trouble reading her now that the facade was coming down again. "Mrs. Withon-"

"_Miss_ Withon," she corrected automatically.

"Miss Withon, what do you know about the deal? And what do you know about Hope?"

Ellasbeth looked at her perfectly manicured hands, curled protectively around her belly once more. "My parents and Finn made the deal. I was only six at the time, but my mother had just had another miscarriage and it was becoming increasingly likely that I would be their only child." She paused for a moment, and it occurred to me that she was still dealing with the loss of her parents on top of everything else. She definitely had my sympathy, though it was grudgingly given. "There might have been records of it in the labs, but now that they're destroyed..."

Records...demons loved their paperwork. "Ash, wouldn't the demons have a record of all deals made on this side?"

Ash shrugged. "Sometimes. Not always. Especially if it involved doing something as illegal and Uncommonly Stupid as turning over an elven DNA sample. Zee would definitely not want his part in that known."

I returned my gaze to Ellasbeth. "Anything else? Who are her parents?"

"Hope..." The pale woman finally had the grace to look ashamed. "Hope was taken from a hospital shortly after she was born. Her parents had already lost two children to particularly bad cases of Rosewood syndrome, and did not question Hope's apparent death."

"...aaaaand nobody questioned the lack of a body?" I asked suspiciously.

"There _was_ a body, an elven child, dead at birth." Ellasbeth sighed, looking away. "Elven glamour can be very convincing."

"Sooo, elves stole a witch baby and left them a dead elf kid instead. Gosh, that makes it all okay, then!"

"She would have died anyway," Ellasbeth said quickly, insistently. "Only our secret elven labs knew the proper course of treatment, and it was given only to three children, no more. It was never going to be offered to the general witch population."

"How noble of you," I said, voice toneless. "So the gang stole a witch baby, cured her of the curse, and the Hazeltons adopted her. Are they in on this, too?"

"The Hazeltons? Oh, no. They knew she was marked, but they didn't know why. They couldn't know all of it."

"They'd get too fond of her, is that it?"

Ellasbeth raised her chin again, holding her own. "They knew they were raising a demon child, Miss Sinclaire. She had the best of everything- nannies, tutors, an excellent private education..." She trailed off as she saw the look on my face. I was staring at her in growing horror.

"She really was a sacrifice, wasn't she? _Please_ tell me that neither she nor her foster parents knew Hope was going to be tossed into the volcano when she came of age...?"

Ellasbeth went pale with anger again. "I swear I have no idea. All I know is what my parents told me- that Hope must be present at my daughter's birth so that she can play her role in the deal, or Zee will claim my child."

I couldn't believe that fucking truth amulet was still green. "And all these years you never bothered to actually ask what her role _was_?"

"It wasn't my concern," Ellasbeth said regally, tossing a pale strand of cobwebby hair out of her eyes.

"Not your concern," I echoed, just stumped. "You mean that you purposely closed your eyes to what was happening so you wouldn't have to think about it. Good plan. How's that working for you now?"

Ellasbeth was silent, gazing at me through cold, narrowed eyes. "Will you help me or not?" she asked.

"You? Fuck no. But I'll do my best for your kid, and for Hope. You know, if it weren't for Ceri and Trent I'd think that there's a fucking good reason the demons tried to wipe you guys out."

"You don't know the half of it," Ash said darkly, as the elves shifted again and muttered among themselves angrily.

"But you have to do something for me- find out who's behind the attempt on my life and call off the dogs. Who sent Shane to do me in two days ago?"

Ellasbeth took a breath to protest, glanced at the amulet on the table, and I could almost hear her teeth grinding. "I...already know who it was," she said reluctantly, and I swear I nearly fell off my chair.

"You do? Then you can convince them to call it off?"

She folded her arms, looking suddenly fierce. I could see the conflict on her face- the rapid battle of different loyalties, to house and kin and her own future child. There was also hatred there, and fury at having to deal with her kin's sworn enemy. It finally occurred to me, something that should have been totally obvious from the start: _Ellasbeth wasn't human_. She wasn't a witch. She wasn't a demon. She was something else, something older and wilder and potentially very, very dangerous. I wondered if, by making this deal with her, by helping her, I was actually earning points in my favor at all. Perhaps obligation and gratitude worked very differently in her culture.

But I didn't have to live within her moral rules, I had to live by my own. I decided to hold to my course. I'd get to the bottom of this, for the sake of Hope, and Ellasbeth's kid, and...maybe even Zee. In fact, the longer I considered Zee and his deteriorated mental state, the more I wondered if...just perhaps..._he _might be the one who was being taken advantage of here.

Ellasbeth finally spoke. "Shane Quinlan wasn't sent to kill you. He was just sent to neutralize the threat you posed. That's all I heard, after the news reached us that you'd murdered him and escaped."

"Uh, _no_...he tried to sterilize me, then tried to pound me into mincemeat," I clarified. "I was defending myself. I can prove it." A little part of me was pleased that I could say all that without a tremor in my voice, though my guts still threatened to spew my last meal all over the floor.

"So you've said," she said, though she didn't look convinced. "You're the first new demon woman we've heard of whose recovery was not engineered by the elves." She gazed at me thoughtfully. "At least, as far as we _know_." She put an odd emphasis on the word "engineered."

_I'm not engineered. I'm a threat. Put two and two together, and..._ "You have some kind of hold over the others, don't you? Hope, and Rachel, and Lee. But not me."

Ellasbeth simply raised a brow. "Rachel Morgan and Stanley Saladin are under Trenton Kalamack's protection. They are _his_ responsibility," was all she had to say in reply.

This was getting crazy. Way crazy. "Who sent him?" I asked, still trying to figure out how I posed a threat to anyone apart from my own idiot self. I forced myself to focus back on the problem at hand, and worry about that last bit later when I saw Rachel again.

"I'm only telling you because it's too late for you to do anything about it, so I betray nobody. And it _may_ have something to do with Hope and Zaebos." She stood, straightening her clothing, and all of her security guards jumped back to alertness and prepared to leave. "Shane Quinlan was sent by Dr. Aiden Finn."

I just sat there, stumped, as Ellasbeth Withon and her entourage swept out of the room.


	82. Shunning the Shunners

**In Which Evie Changes Her Mind**

"Elves," Ash said once the room was empty of all but witches and demons again. Evidently he'd been raiding Adrian's kitchen again. I glanced at him just in time to watch him chomp into a big, juicy tomato, its juice and seeds splattering all over his shirt. I had to wonder if he hadn't planned it that way, even though he looked down as if in surprise and began to dab at the mess with a napkin he produced from nowhere. "Oooffs," he mumbled through a mouth of tomato mush.

"After that conversation, I've lost my appetite," I said, watching him finish devouring the tomato and start peeling an orange. Yup, fresh fruit and coffee were definitely on the list of goods to import. "How long do you suppose she has until she's due? How much time do I have to figure out this Hope business? I forgot to ask."

"Given how big- and how desperate- she is, I'd say a few weeks. Maybe less," Amanda said, and I heard the distaste in her voice. Hopefully it was for Ellasbeth and not Ash's manners. "If I hadn't been sitting here listening to all this, I wouldn't have believed it. This whole thing is so..."

"_Sordid,_" Vivian said, looking grimly annoyed.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly. "And she's a respected scientist? Out of the elves I've met, I think I prefer the thousand year old princess and the murdering drug lord. Yes, I've met Kalamack," I added, at their questioning looks. "Only this morning. Maybe I'll change my mind when I get to know him better." I held out a hand for a section of Ash's orange. Despite my earlier opinion, I found the scent of the orange was making my stomach rumble.

Ash glared at me. "Get your own," he said, popping a segment into his mouth possessively.

"So...what do you fine Coven folks think about all of this?" I asked, after tossing a wad of crumpled notebook paper at him. "I'd like to appeal my shunning. Much as I simply _adore _living in the Ever After, I'd really like to come back here now and then without facing sanctions." My request was met with silence that stretched out far too long. "What? You've seen the evidence that I'm not a cold-blooded killer. I can prove I had nothing to do with Devi's antics in Philly. I've just made a commitment to elves- not only folks at war with my kind, the very elves involved in the threat on my life, apparently- to save a baby. What else do I have to do to prove I'm a decent person, start a charity?"

"It's not that," Adrian said quickly.

"Besides, you're only doing it out of self-interest," Vivian added, eyes still suspicious.

"Oh, for the love of Pete," I said, as Ash chuckled around a mouthful of orange. "Yeah, I am. Nobody _else _gives a damn about my self interest!"

"It's just...you're a familiar," Adrian said apologetically. "And he's training you to use black magic. How do we know he won't order you to...I dunno...blow something up?"

OK, I hadn't thought of it from that point of view. In fact, it was a rather logical, hard-to-contradict point. _ Ouch._ I looked at Ash questioningly. "Fair question," I said.

Ash shrugged. "I promise I won't order Evie to blow anything up. She's quite capable of making that decision herself if you piss her off."

"Ash understands it's in his best interest to have me able to travel reality at will," I said, glaring at him, and he gave me a big, stupid orange-rind grin, like any twelve-year-old would. I had to suppress a snort of laughter, turning it into a cough of irritation instead. This wasn't the time to goof off, darn it!

Vivian wasn't amused. "Miss Sinclaire, you've been consorting with demons for years!"

"Apparently I had an affinity for dealing with my own kind...? Besides, I was helping folks."

"Not just grieving families- you helped anyone who paid you!"

"Not true," I insisted, wounded. "A lot of folks I helped couldn't pay me."

Ash guffawed at the look on Vivian's face, and even Adrian had to suppress a smile. "How can you justify your activities? Some of your clients were criminals!"

"Two things. First, your definition of "criminal" includes any use of demon magic, which isn't necessarily evil- any more than elven wild magic is good. Secondly, as long as they paid whatever price and took the smut themselves, I didn't see the harm. Nobody was dumb enough to ask for anything destructive. Just because someone is stupid or greedy doesn't mean they deserve an eternity of enslavement to demons."

"I believe your criteria were, anyone who tried to kill you or screw you over was deserving," Ash added thoughtfully, around a mouthful of orange. "Remember the four witches who were sure they could break your circle?"

"Hey, there's a limit even to my patience," I said, scowling at the memory. "At least you didn't leave a big horrible mess behind that time. But that's not the point, and you can't say I didn't _try_ to warn them!"

Adrian blinked. "You held a circle against four black witches?"

"Hey, I know how to build a circle. Hell, I've held a circle against _him_ for an entire night," I replied smugly, indicating Ash. "Quite a few times, if I recall."

Ash looked indignant. "Only because I wasn't even trying, love."

"Quit getting off the topic!" Vivian snapped, finally losing patience with the banter. "Yvette Sinclaire, we cannot allow you to just waltz around with a black aura, openly consorting with demons!"

"Why not?" asked Ash. "_You_ openly consort with elves."

"Elves aren't _evil_!"

"Gosh, what can I say to that." I folded my arms. "If you prefer Ellasbeth as an ally, fine. Ash, we're out of here." I got up and turned my back on the Coven.

"Wait, Evie-"

I turned to give Adrian a sad smile. "I've changed my mind. I don't wish to associate myself with anyone who can sit in a room with Ellasbeth and me, and then decide that _I'm_ the evil bitch. Feel free to call me again if you want, but don't ever summon me on behalf of the Coven again. I'll stop fighting the shunning. Having the disapproval of such a misguided Coven suddenly seems like a badge of honor."

The three Coven witches began protesting, insulted, but I wasn't listening. I had one thing left to tell them.

"The elves have their sample, and a healthy baby, soon to be two, to show for it. They'll be a power soon, perhaps in the next generation. Consider that there may come a time when you'll regret not having any allies among demonkind."

"How dare you threaten us!" Vivian exploded.

I just stared at her, dumbfounded. "In what universe was what I just said any kind of threat, Ash?" I asked. "You're the expert on threats, after all..."

Ash just laughed and drew me close. "You really don't have the hang of it yet, love. Want me to take care of it?"

"No, let's just go." I paused a moment, then looked at Adrian. "Wait...I want that blood sample back, please."

"How will I contact you, then?" he asked, looking worried, then looked terrified as Ash made what I recognized as his possessive growl. "Yeah, sure! No problem!"

_You gave him a sample of your blood?_ I winced as his hand tightened on my arm. The emphasis was on "him," I noted. Not "a witch" or even "a Coven member" but "another guy." Oh good grief.

_No, he stole it at the hospital. Don't freak out! He'll give it back._ I didn't have to look at him to know his fangs were bared.

Adrian had dashed over to the coat rack and was frantically excavating the contents of his jacket pockets. Amulets, movie ticket stubs, and candy wrappers flew everywhere before he found the vial he wanted. He gave it, and the demon text on the table, a wistful glance before handing it out to me. I suppressed a smile. Apparently I'd just delivered him from temptation in the nick of time!

Ash snatched the vial from him before I could grab it, and stuck it in his pocket, muttering something angry under his breath. Adrian backed off quickly.

"Don't mind him," I told Adrian. "And you shouldn't be doing demon magic anyway, you'll only get yourself shunned too." I sighed, and answered his earlier question. "You know my name. Just summon me like any other demon. If it's just you, you don't need a circle. Be sure it's just you." I glared at Vivian and Amanda. "That IS a threat. I still owe him a favor. Don't force him into anything or I'll get mad. You change your minds and want to negotiate, do it through him."

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought Adrian smiled and stood a little taller. He'd suddenly gone from being the Coven newbie to being the unofficial Coven-Ever After Liaison, and one of the only two trustworthy demons on the planet owed him a favor. I just hoped it didn't get him shunned like me.

Vivian, on the other hand, was still unimpressed. "Not as long as you are that monster's familiar. You may be Mother Theresa in disguise, but you're still his slave."

I really didn't have an answer to that, one that would be both true _and_ convincing...so I ignored her. "Where to?" I asked Ash. "I guess we should probably talk to Zee next, huh?"

"Talk to _Zee_?" I gasped as Ash's hand wound into my hair, jerking my head back sharply, drawing an involuntary whimper of surprise. "Your mouth," he growled quietly in my ear, "already has a prior commitment,_ familiar_."

Luckily we were already gone before I could burst out laughing at the witches' expressions.


	83. Passing On The Penis, Thanks

_So for the first time I find myself so dissatisfied with a posted chapter that I had to rewrite it. It just seemed too...first-drafty for me, and it's keeping me from being able to move on to chapter 84. Grrr. Maybe now I can focus on it properly!  
_

**In Which Evie Finds That Revenge is a Dish Best Swallowed Properly  
**

We hadn't even finished rematerializing before he was on me, all demanding lips and burning need. I was both taken aback and instantly in a similar state, fingers clawing at his back as I gave in to the animalistic hunger he drew from deep within me.

I knew he was partially driven by jealousy, and the thought nearly drove me wild with defiance and my own mad possessiveness. I didn't stop to question it or analyze it further, I just lived it, let it burn through me as a hot mix of anger and triumph and lust. I'd been through too many ugly emotions this afternoon, culminating in helpless fury at elves and witches both. Perhaps Ash sensed this, or perhaps he was in a similar mood. It didn't matter- we were both eager for distraction, the rougher the better. I struggled against him, only half playfully, laughing at his snarl as my nails drew blood from his neck.

He responded in kind, bearing me to the hard stone floor and pinning me there. I twisted and kicked, making him work for it, and all the while our lips and tongues battled fiercely for dominance. With a cold shiver, I felt my clothing dissolve away in a wash of ever-after, his own following shortly thereafter. The cold stone rasped on my back, a delightful counterpoint to the hot, smooth flesh above me. His grip on my wrists bordered on bruising as he bit my neck with blunt teeth, breath harsh in my ear. "You're so cute when you're angry," he said, deliberately goading me. "Fight me, love. I want to reclaim what's mine."

His words were both infuriating and arousing, and undeniably exactly what I craved- after being insulted by elves and rejected by witches, I needed to be _wanted,_ valued, fought for. I gritted my teeth and spat my ley-line repelling charm at him. He winced as it snapped his head back, though he was otherwise unmoved. He chuckled and bit me again, harder, until I cried out with mingled pain and pleasure. I found his _chi_ and sent a jolt of fire into it, pushing hard, and again he took it, laughing. "You're barely even trying!"

I redoubled my efforts to shake him off, viciously aroused by every blow he blocked and every spell he countered. I gathered my anger and frustration into a ball and shoved all of it into his mark, using pleasure as a weapon instead of pain. That caught him off guard, and he groaned in distracted pleasure long enough for me to get a hand free. I amped up the spell even more, but Ash realized what I was doing and reclaimed the wayward wrist, then sent every last bit of the energy back into me in a furious wave of pleasure that left me crying out and writhing helplessly. As a last-ditch effort, I tried the pain curse instead, but Ash plucked the intention straight out of my head and snorted with amusement. He turned it back on me just as I established the link, nipping that strategy right in the bud. "Is that it...?" he asked smugly.

I was breathless with exertion and desire, and took a few moments to regroup and try to think of another strategy. "Ass," I panted, then grinned with sudden inspiration.

"Oh, no you don't," he said. He sent another pulse of ever-after over me, this one somehow leaving my arms bound above my head, stuck to the floor. My attempt to jump to another room fizzled immediately.

I blinked at him, wide-eyed, then twisted to try to see how I was bound. I saw absolutely nothing- the bonds were either invisible, or entirely composed of his will. I scowled at him. "Cheater."

He only laughed wickedly. "Mine," he breathed against my lips, pulling back just in time to avoid my snapping teeth. I continued to writhe under his heavy, warm weight, thinking I could probably break the spell if I could just concentrate long enough. _If._ The struggle had worn much of the fight out of me, and my pride was giving way to the aching need filling me. He sensed it and brought his lips to his mark, biting and sucking and sending red-hot tendrils of sensation straight into my core. Kneeling, he encircled my arching ribcage with strong hands, turning his attention to my breasts. My breathy sigh of pleasure turned into a desperate moan as he slipped a finger inside me, then another, spreading them and curling them toward my belly, toying with me.

Now I was struggling again, but this time it was to return his caresses, to touch him back. "Ash, let me go."

"No," he purred. He pulled away, taking a moment to savor the sight of me, and the slow raking of his eyes over my bared body, powerless to resist him, drew such a rush of heat to my loins that I moaned, so eager and ready for him that it was becoming a physical ache.

"Ash," I moaned again, no longer able to even remember why I'd been so pissed off in the first place. "You win. Let me go, damn it!"

He smiled, no trace of mercy on his face. His red eyes glittered with arrogant amusement and hot lust. He withdrew and trailed his wet fingers up the length of my belly, between my breasts, leaving tingling ripples of magic behind them. Now that he had me helpless, he would torment me, and even that thought was exquisite. "To whom do you belong, my _Beraxadtha_?" he whispered in my ear, or perhaps in my mind.

"You," I moaned, knowing he'd make me beg him and knowing also that I'd have ample opportunity for vengeance later. I was rewarded with another slow, building flood of energy straight from his _chi,_ making full use of the erotic potential of our familiar bond. I almost sobbed in bliss and he let it ebb, fingers rougher against my breasts as his own hunger grew. To know that this ancient being, so powerful and tightly controlled, could become so lost in my body and my pleasure, to know that I had this much power over him, was as intoxicating as ever. I whimpered as the ache between my thighs grew unbearable. "Yours," I begged again without prompting. "Ash, I need you. God, I need you."

He closed his eyes briefly, savoring the moment. His lips returned to the mark, and now the sensation was sharper, headier, nearly unbearable in its intense purity. He altered position as I tried to catch my breath, then spread my thighs and explored me with his tongue, flicking and teasing. He taunted me with the lightest of licks, barely perceptible, until I pulled at my bonds frantically in my efforts to bring myself closer, to drive that tantalizing tongue deeper. "Ash!" I begged, desperate for more. But he continued to tease, leaving me unfulfilled again as he brought his mouth to mine for a deep, sensual kiss.

"Taste," he murmured, as our tongues danced. "My scent is on you, inside and out. My essence flows within you. You are forever marked." He accented his erotic words with yet more sensation, this time from two slow fingers gently tormenting me from within, moving far too slowly for my desperate need.

"Yes!" I agreed, a pleading gasp. I _could_ detect the subtle changes in my own scent and taste, the remnants of his venom flowing through me and bending me to his will. It only drew me further into lust. "Ash, this is torture. Please—"

He cut me off with another kiss, this time paired with a flood of sensation- his magic, emotions, and physical caresses driving me to orgasm so fiercely and quickly that I lost track of everything but the nearly unbearable pleasure. The distant sound of my own screams barely made it through the pounding of the blood in my ears. It was so intense that it was just on the border of exquisite pain, and it left me a total wreck beneath him once it had passed. It took me a minute or two of quivering hypersensitivity before I could come down enough to move or speak, feeling the hammering thuds of my racing heart and the total languid, aching surrender of every single muscle.

I finally opened my eyes to see his wonderful, familiar smug grin. He'd released the bonds and moved to the bed, the better to smirk at me as he watched me recover from his ministrations. "Aw. Did I break you?" he asked, a parody of solicitude. He was nude, his lazy half-reclined posture emphasizing bits of him that still needed tending to.

"Vengeance," I said as I tottered to my feet, and approached him on unsteady legs, "is going to be_ very_ fucking sweet."

His arrogant grin widened. "Oh yeah? Do your worst."

I shivered at the memory those words called up, when he'd embraced me for the first time without the layers of deals and protections, covered me with smut, and then seduced me, showing me just how much pleasure an experienced lover had to offer. How terrifying and exhilarating that experience had been! And even as early as that first surreal encounter, I'd claimed him. Goaded him into admitting it, even as he took his pleasure in me. My gaze fixed on the five small scars, scattered in their uneven crescent over his heart.

_Mine._

Ash regarded me with a raised eyebrow, perhaps guessing the path my thoughts were traveling. His smirk bent crooked with amusement. "Who knew, right?" he said, clearly referring to the twists our lives had taken since that fateful day.

I couldn't help my chuckle, or the bemused shake of my head. It threw me out of my attempt at mimicking his intense, dark seduction, but on the other hand, was that really my style? He'd had centuries to perfect the whole "demon lover" bit. I still thought of myself as just a witch, and a practical, serious one at that. I loved that he had shown me an entirely new side of my personality, and to be honest, as much trouble as he'd brought into my life, he'd also brought a good share of laughter. "Still satisfied?" I asked playfully.

He snorted and pointedly looked down to where he still stood at attention. "Not even remotely," he growled. "You have about five seconds before I tie you up again and leave you walking funny for the rest of the day."

"...is that a threat or a promise?" I asked, perking up.

"Three seconds."

I grinned and knelt, tracing the hard length of him with the barest touch of a finger, watching him tense with anticipation. I watched his face as I wound tentative fingers around him, and thought suddenly that I found him beautiful. Dangerous, cold, deadly, and right now he was _mine_. I suddenly got an inkling of why he enjoyed turning me to putty with orgasmic bliss on a regular basis- not necessarily from affection, but because of the power it gave him over every aspect of my reaction. It was the only way he could claim he had complete control of me, willingly given over to him. If he were crueler, perhaps he'd have added torture, physical or psychological, to the mix. But Ash had always been a lazy sonofabitch. Pleasure was easy, and he was just as much of a hedonist as I apparently was.

This knowledge didn't distress me; I'd always known it, on some level. But it was the first time I'd felt it myself, this odd little desire to exercise my own control over him, to watch him writhe and burn and beg me for release. There was no affection in it, only a pure desire for dominance. Another aspect of our game, I thought. I gave him a mischievous look- I knew exactly how I'd get my vengeance.

So I played with him, sneaking in through the back door of our bond while he was distracted, using his own subconscious thoughts to guide my motions, bringing him close to the edge, then backing off again. I wondered how far I could push him, how long I could keep him _juuust_ this side of breaking, all the while pretending it was simple inexperience on my part. I had him gasping, rigid, muscles so taut they practically creaked. He was this close to pleading, I could tell, and I took a breath to demand that he do so-

* * *

Ash was still snickering, despite every glare and threat I'd thrown at him. "Stop_ laughing,_" I said, still blushing hotly, as Ash's hand found the calling mirror. "If you drop any hint of it to Zee and he mentions it, you will be soooo fucking sorry-"

Ash doubled over with another fit of giggles. "Sorry," he said, completely unapologetic. "It's just...the look on your face-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I growled, throwing a torn pillow at him and trying, but failing, to maintain my Grouchy Evie face. "Just shut up." He managed to sober up enough to find the appropriate glyphs, but when I involuntarily cleared my froggy throat again, Ash nearly fell off his chair. I made an exasperated noise of frustration. "You are _such_ a jerk, you know that?"

"_Demon_," he wheezed, as if that explained everything.

"You just see if I_ ever_ go down on you again!" I threatened.

"You will. You enjoyed that waaaay too much to deny yourself the pleasure, you little hedonist," he replied.

"Oh, shut up."

Ash finally calmed himself with an effort and rang up Zee, as I tried to quell my urge to continue beating the daylights out of him with the pillow. My throat still burned from the coughing fit. Triggered by, um, using the wrong pipe. When Ash, er, unexpectedly...well, you can probably guess. The, ah,_ strength_ of his release had taken me by surprise. He could have at least had the decency _try_ to look concerned as I hacked up a lung, but he'd been too busy laughing so hard he'd rolled right off the bed. His subsequent reassurance that he'd give me plenty of opportunities to perfect my newbie technique had not gone over well. Asshole.

The look on my face_ had _been pretty priceless, though. I knew, because Ash showed me, imitating me as I inhaled just at the wrong moment. I couldn't hide that it was pretty hysterical, though I tried very hard to suppress the amusement under a veneer of wounded pride.

Ash pulled his hand away from his mirror after several long moments. "He's not answering," he reported. "Give him twenty minutes or so, in case he's in the middle of..." He snickered again.

"Humiliating his familiar?" I growled.

"A curse. I was going to say a curse," he insisted, totally lying his ass off. "Besides, he doesn't have a familiar."

"Why not?"

Ash shrugged. "No idea. He always bought his familiars from Al."

We waited. And waited. I started working on my week's worth of community service line-jumping charms, chopping the ingredients and prepping as much as I could in advance. Ash puttered around restlessly, now and then offering alternative suggestions on how to fill the time, each kinkier than the last. I finally had to say something when he offered to, uh, enhance my nether regions so that he could show me some neat tricks.

"I'm sure having a penis is great, but I'll pass, thank you very much," I told him, trying not to sound the least bit amused or intrigued. (Not easy...you try saying that with a straight face!) "If you're so bored, you could always sit your lazy ass down and_ help_ me instead of distracting me."

Ash folded his arms. "Not my job. I'm not a familiar," he said petulantly. "We _really_ need to get you one so you don't have to waste your time-"

_Not a familiar? _ I didn't bother to correct him. "I don't see it as wasting my time, Ash!" I said. "And no, I don't want a slave. I'm a big girl, I can do my own grunt work."

Ash humphed impatiently. "But it takes _you_ twice as long as it would a trained familiar," he whined. "Let me nab someone for you- it'd only take a week or two to train 'em up. You have _better things _to do. _ Many_ of them involving grunting, I might add."

"I could use the practice," I replied, ignoring his one-track mind. "This whole earth-charm ley-line mix thing is all new to me. Every time I do it, I see more of the sense of it all." I paused. "Wait a minute...how could you possibly train a familiar to do these spells faster than_ I_ can?"

Ash shrugged. "You cram it into their heads all at once. Upside, they can do any curse you know. Downside, they can't improvise or troubleshoot."

"They get the knowledge, but not the understanding," I said. "No thanks. I need to learn it the hard way, Ash."

"I like the hard way," he said.

_Man, how many innuendos can he cram into a two minute conversation? _ "I meant that there's no other way to gain experience."

"No other way you'd enjoy," he said with a grin.

I paused, then eyed him curiously- that hadn't been an innuendo. "What do you mean?"

"You could always let me pilot for awhile."

"You mean like..._possess _me?" I asked, intrigued.

He gave me a very erotic look that reminded me that he already possessed me in just about every other way that mattered. "Sure. If you'd let me in. I wouldn't dare, otherwise. You'd see the patterns as I twist them, hear the thoughts and the weaves as I create them. Your body would gain the experience, and the curses would remain burnt into your memory."

_Sounds easy and quick. So there's a doozy of a catch... _"And I wouldn't enjoy this because...?"

"You'd be absolutely powerless. Conscious and aware of everything, but cut off from your own body. I could force you to do absolutely anything and you wouldn't be able to force me out. It's a terrifying experience for anyone, losing control like that. And I know you, Evie- control is everything to you."

I shivered. "I'll take your word for it. I'll do it the hard way."

"Suit yourself."

I finally got to a point where I couldn't continue without committing a few hours to the cooking, and wiped the dandelion fluff from my fingers. "Are you sure you reached him? He hasn't called back yet?"

Ash frowned and tried the mirror again. This time, he was only on for a few moments before he jerked his hand away with a yelp, then shook it as if burnt. "Fucking little creep _cursed _me!" he complained. "Right through the mirror! Come on."

I rose, confused. "Come on? You really want to go barging in on him? He obviously doesn't want to talk to you..."

"You do NOT curse someone right through the collective! I'm sure someone else felt that. Come on, I want to get there before _they_ do." Ash grabbed my arm, and we were off.


	84. Zee's Booby Trap

_Hey all, sorry for the long absence. It's that end-of-semester crunch again. Grades are due at the end of the week, but I feel like I've earned a wee break after grading all day today.  
_

_And also...MAJOR case of writer's block! Argh! I thought I had a handle on Zee, but I just couldn't get him right. Still working on him. In the meantime, this scene just came out of nowhere a day or two ago, helpfully putting off the meeting-Zee-scene for the next chapter. Which should be out in a few days, dangit!  
_

**In Which Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies (No, Not Really!)**

We materialized in darkness, which Ash lit with a curse that apparently set his own hand on fire. He didn't look as if it hurt, so I tried not to gawk. He held the flames high, looking around. "Shit," he said, realizing we were in a small cave that was unadorned and unoccupied. Ash was staring at the one wall in the cavern that wasn't just carved from rock, but had been purposely built out of irregular grey stones. "He's done some redecorating."

I gazed down at the dusty glyph that formed the typical "landing pad" for jumping around in the Ever After. It looked like we were the first to tread on it in centuries, judging from the amount of dusty cave-crud covering it. But it didn't look like _anyone_ had ever lived here. "Now what?"

But Ash was staring at a wall with an arrested expression, head cocked as if he were straining to listen. "Shit!" he said suddenly, again, and the world exploded around us. Too many sensations hit me at once- falling, flailing, Ash shouting something, grinding, rumbling, and crushing pressure, pain. I heard Ash grunting with effort, felt him land on me, and felt more than saw the dim energy of his protective circle around us.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Zee had just dropped a mountain on us. Or that there was no protective circle in the universe that could hold it off of us forever- or even for another ten minutes.

Neither of us dared move- we both had his aura and one touch would break the circle. Unbidden, I reached for a line, but there were none to be found. Ash was working off what he'd stored in his _chi_. And as soon as that was gone, he'd tap mine, and when that was gone, we'd be crushed. I didn't ask if he could get us out- if he could, he would have by now.

Ash gave another grunt of effort, shaking with strain and silent with concentration. I had nothing in my arsenal that could help. We had a few minutes left to live, and the thought made me strangely calm. "Ash...?"

Ash wasn't panicking either, though I could sense he was having trouble thinking of options, the circle requiring most of his concentration. _Glyph's destroyed. Can't jump, _he thought at me, the effort robbing him of breath. _ Can't blast out. _

_Contact the collective?_

_Last resort. Think!_

I used my second sight, which showed me the corresponding space in reality. Though I couldn't see it, I could somehow feel it wasn't rock, and there was something about the resonance that indicated it was massive, empty, echoing space. Not that it would help. Without access to a ley line, it was out of our reach. _You don't think it's time for last resorts...?_

_Right. _After a moment, Ash swore again. _Cut off. _

_He thought of everything, didn't he? Why's he out to kill us?_

_Not us in particular. Just uninvited guests. _ Ash's mental voice sounded both uncertain and outraged.

_Suggestions?_

Another pause. _No. I'm almost out of power, too. Another minute, maybe two._

_And there's no way to get to reality from here? _ I asked desperately.

_No._

_So...this is it?_

Ash didn't reply, though I could feel him weakening. Holding a circle against such pressure took physical as well as mental effort. Demons were superhumanly strong, and they had a lot of mental reserves, but they still had their limits. He couldn't last much longer.

_Can't you go misty? _I asked finally.

_Only time to curse one of us, love. Can't curse you without losing concentration to hold the circle. Curse myself to mist first, and it falls._

_So? You're a fucking demon, Ash. Why are you even still here if you can save yourself? _

_Don't tempt me…_

_No, seriously! Heroism isn't exactly your thing. Don't tell me I've been misjudging you all this time…_

His laugh was more of a bark of effort._ We have plenty of time. Minutes, even. There's still time to come up with an alternative_. _Don't be melodramatic. _

_I'm not, you idiot! It'd be pointless to turn me to mist, because I wouldn't have a clue where to go from here or how to turn myself back. There's no point in both of us dying._

_I have an idea- I can take your soul with me. I'm sure I have a bottle on me somewhere._

_Stick me in a bottle? No thanks._

_I'll find you another body._

The thought was repugnant. I knew Pierce inhabited a body that wasn't his, and didn't seem to mind- nor did Rachel, for that matter, though the thought certainly skeeved _me_ out. _Absolutely not. No._

_Yvette Therese Sinclaire, I order you to-_

_Not a chance, Ash. You don't get my soul, not even now. _

_Evie…_ I'd pissed him off now, and it gave him another burst of reserve energy. _If we get out of this, I am going to make you so fucking sorry! _

I thought again of that giant cavern in reality, dark and silent and perhaps never even discovered by mortals. And even if it were ever viewed by sentient eyes, nobody would ever know that the pulverized remains of two demons lay only a reality shift away. I shuddered, reconsidering taking Ash up on his offer. Would I really rather die than lose my mortal shell? Then I remembered the price- somebody would have to die so that I could have their body. No. I couldn't allow that.

_Evie...? _ Ash paused, and I could practically hear him deciding how best to play on my emotions. _Please. For me?_

_No. _

_You stupid, stubborn bitch! There's no other way out! _ It was killing him that he couldn't stop concentrating long enough to force the issue. But it would take precious seconds we didn't have.

_Wait a minute,_ I thought, thinking of the cavern in reality. The Ever After reflected reality. Why wasn't there a huge cavern here? I thought back to the brief glimpse of the room we'd landed in. One of the walls hadn't been stone, but brick. Zee had sealed off the room, and booby-trapped it, but there was no reason the huge cavern didn't still exist on the other side of that wall, was there? Using my second sight, I tried to get a sense of the shape of the space in reality. One could wall off the section we were in pretty easily, with ten or so feet of rubble or stone. _Ash, how big an explosion can you make?_

_We can't blast up, Evie._

_No, but we can blast sideways, right? There's a cavern to the side of us, behind that wall. I'm certain of it. Well...reasonably certain, anyway._

_We blast in _any_ direction and the circle will fall, love._

_Crap. _

Ash shifted a little, and there was a horrible, hungry grinding sound of stone on stone. I winced, expecting disaster, but Ash was still holding off the incomprehensible weight above us. I paused to be frankly astounded at the sheer power he could command. I'd read what demons could do- level armies, lay waste to entire cities with a word, but actually seeing the enormity of their power was still humbling. Ash was holding off a fucking _mountain._ With his _chi_. _Give me your soul, Evie, _he thought at me again.

_I can't believe Zee would try to murder another demon. Isn't he worried Newt would-_

_It's only a fatal trap for you, love. Any other demon worth his salt would simply find it inconvenient._

_What if it was just a familiar who'd tripped the trap?_

Ash gave me the mental equivalent of a shrug. _Who cares?_

_This seems a little like overkill, doesn't it?_

_Who cares? _

_I'm just saying-_

_Evie!_

_OK, OK...What if we both blast at the same time?_

_EVIE! Give me your fucking soul so we can get out of here!_

_No, I'm serious! I've got enough juice to blast that wall. You just need to push us in that direction at the same time. You know, propel us out at the same time the wall crumbles. Get us out of this room and into the next one over._

_Are you insane?_

_We'd have to time it right, but-_

_But nothing. One: we're not even sure there is another room. Two: what's to stop the mountain from caving in the entire cavern that we're not sure is even there? Three: even if you're right, and it works, we'll blast out into and under a pile of boulders. If it doesn't, we'll be smushed into pulp. And four: we blast into Zee's living room and he'll be pissed off. You really don't want Zee pissed off._

_I'd rather take my chances than haunt a cadaver, Ash. And you can always turn yourself to mist if it doesn't work. _

Ash pondered this suggestion. I felt the exact moment his conniving side saw the opportunities here. _Make you a deal, Evie. We'll try it your way. But I get to upgrade that mark if you live._

_No!_

Oh, peachy. I caught the whiff of Ash's smugness before he replied- he'd found his leverage. _All right...then perhaps I'll just drop this circle and we can both perish romantically together._

_Huh? Don't be an idiot, Ash._

_I feel the urge to be all noble and shit. Didn't the Bard write some idiot play about two starstruck kids dying for love? Isn't that all the rage in the moral realms?_

_Ash, I think you're going to make me vomit._

_The longer you wait, the more energy we use up...I'm not sure we can pull it off even now. It's a shame that nobody will know about my noble sacrifice._

_You __**cannot**__ be serious. _

_If the prospect of your own death won't move you, I'll use mine. Evie, either give me your soul or promise me a real mark, or I swear I'll drop this mountain on both of us. _He shifted again, and I yelped with fright as the circle became even smaller with another ominous, thundering rumble. _Oops. Better hurry, I'm getting awfully tired._

I couldn't believe it. He had me there. God damn, he was a tricky, opportunistic little creep! _All right. All right, you manipulative bastard! You get your mark. Now get us out of here!_

Ash's mental voice was smug as anything at having won. _I still think we'll be mashed into toothpaste, but whatever makes you happy, darling. _

_Oh, shut up._

_Mind if I...? _I felt a nudge through the familiar bond. He wanted direct access to my stored power. _You'll have to open up, love, I'm sort of preoccupied at the moment._

_Do what you need to do,_ I grumbled, trying to relax my guard. It was easy enough to abandon all inhibitions in the throes of passion, but doing it now, consciously and deliberately, felt about as comfortable and sexy as a gynecological exam. My mind resisted and I had to force myself to relax. I felt the true depth of the link we'd established, soul-deep and intense- reminiscent of the feeling of his aura, wrapped around my broken soul. It was both comforting and terrifying at the same time. I was trapped under a fucking mountain, I really didn't need to feel any smaller and helpless at the moment.

_Just so you know… If this doesn't work and we're both mashed to pulp, I'm going to follow your soul to wherever it goes, and fucking devour it. Slowly. I haven't lived this long to just to die over a fucking female._

_Your choice, asshole. I told you to go, and you had to go all Romeo on me. See if I__** ever**__ let you forget it._

_This will feel a little weird. Let me prepare. _

Weird was right. I could feel him slowly cataloging the curses he'd launch. He tapped into my _chi_ and sucked out a big chunk of what I'd stored there in preparation. I think he was also using my own intellect to help him process what he needed to do, all the while keeping most of his own concentration on holding the circle. Weird didn't even begin to describe the sensations of someone else guiding my thoughts. I didn't know what the curses were for, but I knew they'd be burned into my mind when he used them. Yay, free lesson! Assuming I survived this.

I also got an up-close and personal look into how much my demon was turned on by a little danger. Ash might _say_ he was furious, but he was also loving the hell out of this challenge. I got an inkling of how demons had survived the war- they lived for danger. Perhaps it also explained why they were so depraved- what would an adrenaline junkie without a conscience do for excitement after a thousand years of banishment and boredom?

_OK. If you're done psychoanalyzing me...? I'm going to have to coordinate this precisely, so for the love of Newt, don't resist and don't interfere. Let me pilot, and ask your questions later. Also, you might feel a slight pinch, when you're crushed by a ton of falling rock. It's perfectly normal._

_Ha ha ha._

_Here we go, then. On three, blast the wall, then let me drive. One...two..._


	85. Zee's Children of the Sun

_*shudder* There are days when Ash really creeps me out. Can't have anyone thinking he's a sweet guy, now, can we...?_ _ I think Evie's had a bad influence on him...if anything, he's getting even more ruthless, just...more goal-oriented. *wicked grin*_

**In Which there is an Earth-Shattering Ka-Boom**

I gathered my will and shoveled everything I had into my simple ley-line repelling charm, using the rest of the energy stored in my_ chi_. I released it on his signal.

Lighting, thunder, violent movement, agony, dizzying disorientation, and more pain. The explosion was so loud that it was more sledgehammer than sound, numbing my ears. Dust blinded me, choked me, cold and sterile and smelling of mineral. I was suddenly swallowed by darkness, and yelped again in a blind panic as I was bathed in enough smut to block the sun. I nearly vomited from the sensation, frigid and and slithery with slime, creeping over me, and it deepened and worsened without abating. Thuds of movement striking me randomly, sensations of something cracking, breaking. Falling into a black hole, watching light and warmth recede with no hope of escape, sinking implacably down into absolute nothingness. Crushing pressure, suffocating darkness. I tried to scream, tried to breathe, but the void had consumed me-

Absolute disorientation, spinning confusion, senses no longer dulled but completely absent. I flailed wildly with my mind, but it was complete sensory deprivation. Time suspended, a perfect eternity of absolute panic, utterly alone. I was nowhere, confused...then my head suddenly flooded with the voices of the demon collective, whispering and jumbled and oblivious to my little lost soul wandering with confusion. Sensation returned, but it was all wrong, a million little pinpricks all over my non-corporeal form, which seemed bent entirely out of shape. I was a swarm of bees...I couldn't identify hands, feet, eyes...everything was a uniform mass of zingy sensations, disorienting and awful.

Time resumed, too fast, bringing with it a barrage of kaleidoscopic images and sounds and feelings that barreled into my brain with a roar of sensation. I cringed from them, the shock convulsing my limbs as I struggled to escape. My stomach heaved, my chest heaved, and involuntary tears welled in my eyes. If I'd had anything in my stomach, I'd have lost it. The pain was gone, the heartless darkness was gone, the weird disembodiment was gone, and being alive was so damned sweet that I wanted to scream.

_Easy, Evie. _Ash's arms wrapped around me and kept me still. _We're still in trouble. You need to get up._

"What...the hell...did you just do to me?" I gasped, head buried in my arms. My trembling had grown to a jerky tremor, and I recognized the sickness in my stomach as an imminent panic attack. The feeling of my own bones crunching was trying to be remembered, and my brain was trying like hell to suppress the memory again.

_Saved our asses. Damn, woman, but you have a shitload of power in you. _ Ash sounded very proud, as if my innate abilities were all his doing. _Now stand up and get ready to bluff like hell._

_Huh...? _

_Zee. We've just trashed his garden. _I let Ash drag me to my feet, willing my legs to hold me up and failing miserably. I'd just seen the blood on, in, and under the pile of rubble. I turned away from the gory sight, eyes closed, chest heaving as I tried not to vomit all over Ash. All right…I'd had worse ideas in my life. Like summoning a demon at age fifteen. And….no, come to think of it, nothing else I'd ever done topped those two.

_Garden...? _ I looked around, finally registering the blazing light around us. The space we'd materialized in was massive, with magnificent vaulted ceilings that had to be at least five or six stories tall and nearly as wide, with several wide pillars stretching up here and there. The third most amazing thing about the room was that it was far, far bigger than the cavern in reality. Like all the other rooms of the Ever After, the walls were carved out of solid rock. What I could see of the walls still showed the play of colors of the stratification within, tans and browns and the occasional red or black. They were smooth and shining, a far cry from the hack job of some of Ash's rooms. Someone had spent a very long time on the walls alone, but...

The second most amazing thing about the room was that it was full of greenery. Zee had turned this massive space into a replica of a dense rainforest in all its splendor, with exotic blooms of the most vivid hues, and leaves of every shade of green imaginable. Thick corded vines climbed the walls as well as the twisted trees and massive ferns that towered over the tangled undergrowth. I glanced at the carefully laid stones of the path, hexagonal stones cut with such exquisite precision that there were barely any seams between them. I just stood there gawking around, floored at the scale of what Zee had created here. .

But the_ most _amazing thing about the room was the blazing brightness. The Ever After was a dark place, the sources of light mere firelight and those awful eldrich globes which were tinted red and seemed to project smut-ridden darkness as well as light. Every light spell the demons used was used grudgingly, mindful of the cost...but not here. Here there was such a concentration of the globes set at high noon in the ceiling, blazing so brightly, that it was as if Zee had captured a small sun. It was tinted red, weary and ancient like a dying star, but it banished the eternal darkness of the Ever After.

It also illuminated the dusty decimation we'd unleashed. The force of our escape had hurled rocks, stones, and car-sized boulders for dozens of yards, flattening trees and squashing plants and tearing up the stones of the path. Oops. We'd just demolished a good chunk of the greenery, and a thin layer of grimy grey now clung to everything in the room, including us. But there was something odd about the scenery- or rather, how it had been _shattered_ rather than crushed.

On closer inspection, I found that the plants weren't alive. None of it was real. I bent to examine a brilliant red blossom. It was beautifully detailed, exceptionally formed, perfect down to the last detail, but each petal was carved out of a velvety polished red stone. I knelt to take a closer look, astonished- each pistil and stamen was equally cunningly wrought, such a perfect sculpture that the finest artist couldn't have replicated it even out of more common materials. The leaves were a smooth, polished jade. I stood and examined a tree, laying my hand on the bark and finding that the texture was perfectly replicated, natural flaws and all. The choice of stone was different here- perhaps it was even a chunk of petrified wood, though the color was amazingly lifelike. The leaves were a different green stone- malachite, perhaps, variegated with myriad shades from light to dark.

"Did _Zee_ do all of this?" I asked.

"Yup."

"Holy cow." I gazed around, overwhelmed. Each plant was a work of art, each leaf and petal and carved stem must have taken days...no, months, perhaps years. The amount of time that this forest represented was...staggering. My brain shut down just trying to contemplate it, as I examined a climbing plant with a spray of perfect miniature trumpet-shaped flowers, each the size of a pea. I tugged gently at one, trying to determine how they were all wired together, but it didn't budge. "Is he...how old is this guy, anyway?"

"Old."

"Older than you?"

"Evie, everyone here's older than me. Last demon born, remember?"

"Oh. He's, um, going to be pretty upset, isn't he?" The destruction we'd wrought nearly broke my heart, like hearing that an air strike had wiped out an irreplaceable museum. Nearly. I didn't forget that the artist and architect was also the creep who'd just tried to kill us, after all.

"You think?" Ash looked around again, tense, as if waiting for an attack, but the air was still and quiet as a tomb. The chilly artificial sun blazed without warmth above the silent artificial garden where nothing lived. The shadows were stark and still, and very deep. Nothing breathed, and nothing stirred, and it might have been this way for centuries. I shivered and began to get a serious case of the heeby-jeebies.

Even the sickly light was getting to me, somehow carrying with it a sense of loneliness and despair. "Ash, what's wrong with his sun?" I asked finally, desperate to break the unnatural silence.

Ash looked up, squinting against the brightness. "Soul globes," he said.

"Soul...globes...?" I got a sick, sick feeling in my stomach. Perhaps the despair _hadn't_ been imagined.

"Page thirty seven. _One Hundred and One Uses For a Used Familiar._ Geez, he must have hundreds of them up there. I wonder where he collected them all."

"Ash, those are the same lights everyone uses here, aren't they?"

"Huh? No, not the ones you light with a curse. Not unless they need to stay lit all the time. Then they need a source of power."

I wanted to throw up again, and once again paused to appreciate that the denizens of the Ever After weren't required to eat. I was ready to spew for the second time in less than ten minutes. (The Sustenance Curse is awfully convenient...even if it doesn't satisfy the hunger pangs. Another reason demons are so fucking cranky all the time.)

Ash reached up, and one of the softball-sized shapes drifted listlessly into his hand. He stared at it thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly looked over it at me, lips twisting into a nasty, personal grin. "You know which are the best souls for powering a soul globe? Kids. They're damned near useless for anything else. Not enough life experience, see?" He tapped the globe with a finger, and it flickered a little as if flinching. "Elven kids work best."

I just stared the soul globe in horror. Zee was using hundreds of souls, perhaps those of children,_ to light his garden_. It was so horrifying that my brain honestly stopped working for a moment while I processed it. I had to take a step back. "Ash...I have to get out of here."

Ash was gazing up at the mass of glowing orbs, floating unsupported high above us like so many balloons in various shades of pink and white, without really seeing them. "Know which souls are the best for workings, and shine the brightest...?" he asked softly. "Demon souls."

"Oh my God. Demons didn't...use their own..." I couldn't even say it.

"No. Well, OK, a couple of the really sick ones did, until they got caught. But it was mainly the elves who did the breeding and the harvesting-" He stopped abruptly at my surprise. "Are you surprised?" He smiled mirthlessly again. "Oh, Yvette, how lovely it must be, possessing such innocence. I look forward to shattering it."

"Ash, you're _really_ creeping me the fuck out right now," I said, though there wasn't any real heat in it. My mind had suffered too many shocks today to take in much more horror. Now was as good a time for more heart-wrenching revelations as any, and we hadn't even talked to Zee yet.

"Zee is old. Old enough to remember the wars, before they cursed our children. Old enough to remember the indignity of slavery, to have suffered the loss of friend and family at the hands of the enemy. Zee, of all people, has no love for elves. This is an elven child, as I imagine all the others are. Zee's always been a collector. I wonder if the elves remember _him_?"

"This...this isn't something demons normally do...?" I couldn't help the plaintive note in my voice.

"No. Like I said, kids are mostly useless. Summoners are always trying to sac them-"

"Sac them...?"

"Sacrifice. You know. To us. For stuff. Idiots. Used to happen all the time, they'd draw their circle with some little virgin kid's blood, thinking it was stronger because it was so very_ eeee-vil._" Ash gave me another mirthless smile. "Oddly, word never got around that such circles are the easiest to break. Probably because we usually razed the village after we got out."

I just gaped at Ash, picturing him taking out an entire village. He could do it, probably had done it, as remorselessly as he'd tortured my teenaged friend, Greg. "But..._why_?"

Ash shrugged carelessly. "Why not? Don't tell me you're shocked, love. You of all people know what we're capable of."

My heart gave a horrific wrenching twist. Yes, I knew. "I just never knew _why_," I said softly.

"Jealousy. Boredom. Misplaced fury. The unending humiliation of our pathetic, miserable existence. Revenge on everyone lucky enough to walk under the sun. Take your pick." Ash regarded me with a small smile, eyes cold. "Does it help to have reasons, love?"

I found myself trembling again. "No, not really," I said, looking away in helpless confusion. The being before me had just saved my life, when he'd so casually ended thousands of others. It...wasn't a _nice_ feeling, being so singled out. It wasn't him being noble- he was protecting his investment. How easy it was becoming to forget his real motives, these days. "Ash...you don't have any, do you? Souls of kids?"

"No. I don't use the globes, either. Waste of a good soul, if you ask me. And anyway, it's bad for you. One or two soul globes won't make much of an impression, but having the energy of so many lost souls around you all the time can really fuck with your psyche. It's not healthy. Where the hell _is_ Zee, anyway?"

Seriously. Where was Zee? I was looking forward to ending this particular conversation. "Maybe he's out?"

"No, this is his only living space, that I know of. Let's have a look around." He took my arm like a gallant gentleman and I followed robotically.

We wandered about the garden, following the perfectly laid cobblestone path. Ash whistling a cheery tune, me trying unsuccessfully to suppress the tears of sorrow and anger. I imagined the whispering of the little souls trapped above us, and it broke my heart. I knew why he'd told me. He'd said he'd make me fucking sorry for defying him, and I couldn't have imagined how quickly and deftly he'd be able to wound me. I couldn't _begin_ to fake apathy over this. He knew me too well, had known exactly where to aim his dagger where it would rend the deepest. "Ash," I said finally, not caring if I was finally admitting defeat. "I can't bear this. If I can't free them...can we just go? Can you send me back home?"

He'd had a cold look of satisfaction at his victory, but Ash surprised me when he leaned in and brushed my cheek softly with his lips. "Zee just tried to murder you and the demon familiar you legally own," he said softly. "He owes you restitution."

My eyes widened at his implication. "But...so many souls...?"

"Your life is a unique commodity, my life is very valuable...and _they_ are worthless little souls. Dime a dozen, in the eyes of the court." I halted and stared at Ash, dumbfounded. He smiled serenely back, a real smile with only a hint of malice that I suddenly realized _wasn't_ directed at me. "What, you think I'll let him get away with it? I'll let you in on a shocking little family secret." He leaned in again, whispering into my ear theatrically. "_Zee is afraid of the dark._"

Wow. Only a demon could give a gift that was equal parts horror, affection, and vengeance. Therese was favorably impressed with his cleverness. I was just numb.

Deep in thought, I almost didn't notice when we found Zee. I bumped into Ash, then looked where he was looking. My mind again froze with shock and a disgusting, pitying horror. In the tradition of proud, courageous heroines everywhere, I shrieked and skipped back, hand to my mouth. Would there be no end to the macabre twists of this day?


	86. Evie Meets Ash's Mummy

_Man, writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. I just want to get it over with. For some reason I have a big ol' mental block as far as Zee's concerned. Thanks everyone who dropped me a note- this is the most challenging bit I've faced, just keeping going when nothing seems to be working! I **finally** figured out what was wrong. *evil grin* And apologies to anyone who finds this a bit dark, but I'm exploring my inner horror writer. :) Expect more__ whacky__ lighthearted hijinks...um...soon...?_

_BTW, the reviews work...*g* Thanks to those who dropped me a note showing you were still out there reading and interested!_

**In Which Evie Meets The Family**

Zee lay on a stone circle. It was just that, a circle of stone about ten feet across, raised about a foot off the ground. It was one huge calling glyph, and Zee was lying spread-eagled on it, such that his head, hands, and feet touched the appropriate sigils. And…he was dead. His body was mummified. His clothing was rotted and threadbare. His skin looked like tanned leather, pulled tight over bones that had no covering of fat left on them. He was starved, emaciated, his muscles thin cords of rope under the dusty, desiccated flesh.

"Oh, for the love of Cormel's little shriveled undead balls," Ash said, disgusted. "ZEE!" he bellowed. "WAKE UP, you little _pissant_!" He strode onto the dais and gave Zee's body a vicious kick. I shrieked in shock, expecting the mummified Zee to fly apart, but he didn't. It was worse.

The desiccated corpse gave a surprised, dusty rasp and focused its sightless face in Ash's direction, features twisted with wrath. I made another horrified sound, unable to help myself. It couldn't open its eyes- they'd dried out long ago, leaving nothing but dusty, sunken sockets. Shredded lips opened as it made a dry sound like sandpaper tearing.

"Oh…my…God…Ash, what's…how…_How can he possibly be alive?_"

"_Someone_ forgot to renew their sustenance curse when they went to sleep again, didn't they?" Ash said, as the corpse crackled like a sheaf of newspapers crumpling, bits flaking off like old paint.

I grit my teeth and turned away as I realized I really was going to spew this time. But it was only dry heaves- there was nothing left in there. "Asleep?" I gasped. "How long was he sleeping?"

Ash folded his arms, glaring down. "Decade. Maybe two. _Idiot_." The awful thing croaked something else, flaky features contorting into a ghastly, but recognizable, expression of rage. Ash rolled his eyes. "You're a pathetic sight. Pull yourself together, you're embarrassing even _me_." He gave Zee another nudge with his foot, and what was left of Zee's shirt shredded into dust and fell away.

Creaking, shuddering, it slowly sat up. A sheen of Ever After coated the husk, filling it out and leaving a tall, lanky, too-skinny man of indeterminate ethnicity, blinking tears back into his newly restored eyes. They were black, entirely black, just like Newt's. He muttered something nasty in some foreign tongue, voice raspy and unintelligible from long disuse. He made as if to rise, wobbling to his knees, but Ash took Zee's shoulder and shoved him unceremoniously back down on the glyph-etched pavement. The befuddled demon continued to mutter under his breath, but when he reached out to touch the sigil, Ash trod meaningfully on his hand. "Ah-ah-ah. No more collective until you're back in the present. Now sit your ass back down and get a grip before we continue this conversation."

I couldn't help but stare as Zee recovered from his condition, rude as it undoubtedly was. Zee kept shaking his head and smacking his lips and making the weirdest of involuntary tics, and it was repellently fascinating. "Ash…?"

"Always a shock when you wake up. Especially when your brain's been shriveled up like a prune for years. Give him a minute or two."

"How could he still be alive in that state?"

Ash gave me a mirthless smile. "The joys of immortality," he said. "We can be killed, but we can't _die_."

"What? That doesn't make sense, Ash."

"No, it does- we're all protected from death from natural causes." He looked down at the vaguely staring Zee with a distant, disgusted expression. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now you have to go to some seriously extreme measures if you want to off yourself. Just putting yourself to sleep forever doesn't do it anymore, does it, Zee?"

Zee growled something else unintelligible. Ash only snorted. "You wish. Even _your _mother was never _that _limber."

Zee didn't respond- he was now busy patting himself all over slowly, the panic having left his black eyes. He hadn't bothered to clothe himself yet. I tried not to stare, but when he finally stood up I couldn't help but notice his oversized and totally incongruous erection. I turned away- last thing I needed was my jealous demon deciding to beat Zee to a pulp just because I'd looked at him funny. _ Are you saying Zee was trying to commit suicide? _I asked Ash silently.

_Nah. He does this all the time. We've all done it at some point. When the centuries start to drag. We just…sleep…until something happens to wake us up. Sometimes it's centuries before anything happens. _I felt yet another shiver. He wasn't kidding. I'd caught the emotion that accompanied that statement. He returned to my side, slipping a familiar arm about me. _Don't worry. I'll keep you entertained._

I snorted. _I don't doubt it. Except I have a feeling it's _me_ who'll be entertaining _you_. Involuntarily. A lot._

Ash grinned smugly and planted a kiss on my hair._ It's so much more fun, now that you know me so well. _He expertly dodged my elbow.

We both glanced back at Zee as he turned his back to us and reached up, staring at his "sun" and whistling. The hundreds of little lights drifted down to him, flickering, bobbing, weaving, and dancing. Arms still raised, he…basked. He whispered to the trapped souls, as they danced around him, and the sight was undeniably beautiful as the hundreds of globes floated about the fossilized garden, banishing the few shadows. Refracted radiance danced from every reflective surface, and the demon within looked like some kind of god.

Even Ash was transfixed momentarily by the sight. But his expression was one of growing consternation, embarrassment warring with contempt. He finally hit his forehead with a palm. Apparently embarrassment had won. "Oh, for fuck's sake," he muttered. "Zee! Knock it off!"

Zee ignored Ash, touching and stroking and whispering to the lights with affection. They were _pets _to him. I felt the dry heaves threatening to return. Why had I even come here? I could hardly remember. I'd be having nightmares about this as it was. I'd seen a lot of appalling things in the Ever After, but this was the first atrocity that had hit me quite so hard. I just prayed that Ash wouldn't provoke Zee into harming any of the little soul globes. I didn't think I could stand by and watch that. _What's he doing?_ I asked finally.

Ash waved away one of the little globes that had wandered too close. _It was bad enough when they were his pets. Now they're his "kids." He's been under their influence too long._ "ZEE!" he shouted again, having finally had enough. "We need to talk! What the hell are you doing, making illegal deals with elves?" He emphasized his words with a flash of fire, which narrowly missed several of the globes before singing Zee's calf.

Zee grunted and fell over, and all the globes shot away like shooting stars in reverse. They accumulated on the ceiling again, resuming their solar impersonation. He slowly regained his feet, eyes narrowed, and dusted off the black robes which coalesced around him. His baleful glare hit us, both remote and very, very annoyed. He coughed and hacked up the last of the dust from his restored lungs. He cleared his throat, spat, then asked in a quiet, lifeless voice that gave me the heebie-jeebies all over again, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't give me that. Elves? Curses and cures? A little demoness named Hope? Any of this ringing a bell?"

Zee's poker face didn't budge. In fact, I wasn't even sure he'd heard Ash properly. "Who is this?" he asked, indicating me.

Ash's hand tightened on my shoulder. "This is Evie. She's mine. Evie, meet Uncle Zaebos."

_Uncle?_ I asked Ash incredulously. _ As __in, he's the brother of your mom or dad? For real?_

_Yup. Mum's big brother. The fucking_ embarrassing _one._

Family. Ash had a family. I mean, I knew he must have come from somewhere, he didn't spring fully formed out of Zeus's head or anything, but…living relatives? It was just so….weird. How many other demons was Ash related to? Had I met them? Did it mean anything to them anymore?

Zee had given me an infinitesimal incline of his head, then proceeded to ignore me completely. I wasn't certain I objected if he thought I was a standard familiar, really. "How long has it been? How long have I slumbered here?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Ash replied. "Last time I saw you was…" He trailed off, thinking. "The last trial. You testified on Al's behalf. Creep."

Zee stared blankly. "Oh. Right." The barest ghost of a smile twisted his lips, and his shoulder twitched. "He said he'd give me a discount. But only if he won. Still waiting."

"Because he lost, you moron. Didn't you even stay awake for the grand finale?" Zee shrugged again, losing interest in the conversation. I suppressed a smirk and wondered how many times Ash and Al had been to court. Water was apparently thicker than demon blood in the Ever After. Ash didn't seem especially perturbed by the memory. "You still haven't answered the question, Zee. Or do I go to Dali and have his minions squeeze it out of you?"

Zee's expression still hadn't changed. It was dead, indifferent, a little annoyed. "You still haven't answered _my_ question, either."

Ash did a quick mental calculation. "The trial was about fifty years back, give or take."

"Hope's nearly twenty," I added innocently, and Zee, who had hardly moved since he'd arisen, went even more completely still. _Gotcha, you little creep. _But then his black eyes turned to me, and I wished I hadn't said a damned thing. His gaze was curious, though, not malevolent (yet).

"You haven't removed her tongue, yet?"

I blinked and glared at Ash, who shrugged. "Zee, that went out of fashion, like, two thousand years ago, along with togas and turning elves into marble garden statues."

"Oh." Zee dismissed me again and turned back to Ash. "What do we turn them into now, then?"

"Little fudge cookies," I said, and Ash let out a guffaw.

"I preferred familiars when they didn't speak." Zee squinted up at his "sun." "And I thought soft unicorn went out of fashion with long pork," he replied.

Zee...wasn't joking. "Wait, you guys actually-?" I cut myself off. _Don't ask, don't tell, don't panic about being trapped here with these psychopaths... _

"All right, Zaebos...what do you know of Hope?" Ash asked.

Zee snickered. "What do _any_ of us know of _hope_?"

"Just answer the question, you little creep," Ash said. "You think we'd even be here if we hadn't figured out most of the story? You don't have a prayer of avoiding court unless you make a deal with us."

Zee was silent, but a black staff very like Newt's had appeared in his outstretched hand. Between the robes, and the eyes, and the staff, and the obviously scrambled psyche...I was getting a very bad feeling about Zee, even moreso than when I 'd first met him. _Ash...why are his eyes black...? _I asked silently.

_Too much smut. _

_Did what happened to Newt...did it happen to Zee too?_

_Sort of. Long story. _ Ash took a step closer to me, and his thoughts were wary. _I don't think he's going to talk, Evie. He's starting to get pissed off. I think he's seeking his mark..._

Zee stared into space with growing suspicion. "Impossible," he said quietly. I suddenly had the slimiest feeling that he was examining my aura, even though he wasn't even looking my way, and his blank black eyes hid exactly what was drawing his attention. Or maybe it wasn't me, it was-

I gave a peep of surprise as the demon vanished and reappeared directly in front of me, one hand grabbing my arm and wrenching back the sleeve. Before Ash could even react, Zee snarled and fixed me with his black gaze, and suddenly there was yet_ another _demon invading my mind.

Of course the bastard thought I was Hope, and that Ash had stolen me. And of course he'd take it out on me. Goddammit! I was fucking sick and tired of being manhandled by any demon who felt like taking a stroll in my psyche. Ash had a line in already, and Newt was just too freaking powerful to prevent, but Zee...Zee might be old, and powerful, but he was just a male. Therese rose furiously to the forefront of my forebrain, neatly sidestepped the intruder, and simply enveloped the invading presence with a quick, instinctive _schluuurp._


	87. A Hope in Hell

**In Which Evie Suffers Major Indigestion.**

"_Woah_!" Ash said, startled, as Zee's body simply crumpled to the dusty stones. He looked from Zee to me, looking both shocked and amused. "Evie! Spit that out. You don't know where it's been."

I squirmed, feeling Zee's soul within me. He was furious, but I threw up a protective circle around him before he could react. Still, his presence there was like a herd of wriggling maggots, pushing against my circle in a thousand different places at once. I decided now was as good a time as any to have the freak out I'd been holding back since I'd arrived. "Ash, get him out!" I wailed, dancing around and waving my hands wildly in utter disgust, desperate to wipe this new taint off of my soul and unable to figure out how.

Ash doubled over laughing, and the pissed-off maggots were growing tusks and stingers. Having Zee in there was nothing like Newt's invasion. He buzzed angrily, but without the stored curses in his body, he was helpless to do anything except fire off mental attacks. And he had plenty of those. His deranged mind flooded mine with bizarre imagery, appalling memories, and foreign emotions, rapidly unhinging what little composure I had left.

"Ash!" I shrieked plaintively again, falling to my knees. "Oh, God, it's horrible! Ash! Get him out!" The tide of insanity was overwhelming me, and protective circle or not, Zee was going to win this battle. Already I could feel him concentrating his attack, using the distractions to find my weaknesses and focusing on them relentlessly.

"Sheesh." Ash looked down at me in annoyance. "You'll have to do better than this, Evie, or Al is going to fucking _shred_ your psyche when he starts training you."

"I don't even know what I did! A little hint, here, _Professor Ash_?" I demanded through gritted teeth.

"You can hold souls inside you." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's...a _girl_ thing. I have no idea how you did it either. Shall I summon Newt to give you a hand?"

"No!" I glared at him through my tears. Yeah, just what I needed. "Can you at least..." I grimaced again at the horrific bloody images Zee was conjuring now. "...distract him for a second?"

"Ah, well...no, actually. I have no idea where you're storing him. Pull it together, love, I know you'll figure it out."

I strengthened the protective circle in my mind, again. Hadn't Rachel mentioned something like this happening to her, once? And she'd needed both Al and Newt to help her out...though she'd used a curse to start the process, so maybe that gave the deranged soul a bit of an edge. No, this was something else, something Therese had done instinctively, so there had to be an instinctive way out of this...right?

Zee hammered at me again, and I realized something stupidly obvious. I couldn't expel the ass if he were locked _inside_ a circle, now, could I? Once I'd had that thought, it was the easiest thing in the world to simply shift my perspective. The circle only existed in my head, and represented a barrier between us. Now it was protecting _me_, instead. _I_ was inside. _He_ was outside.

After that, it was an easy enough matter to expand it. He wanted out as badly as I wanted him out, and he poured out of me like vapor. I stood quickly, watching with relief as Zee reanimated his own body again. I scrambled back, and bumped against Ash behind me.

Ash clapped me on the back. _Knew you could do it. Now get your game face on. Don't let him see weakness, love, or he'll walk all over you. You _**_meant_**_ to do that, got it?_

I had enough revulsion for Zee at this point that facing him with a contemptuous glare wasn't difficult in the slightest. "I am _not_ Hope. Try that again," I dared him in a voice that oozed disgust. "and next time I'll chew you up a bit before I spit your stinking soul back out. Stay the fuck out of my head."

Zee was breathing heavily, staring at me with an expression of bafflement which was rapidly turning to hatred. The feeling was definitely mutual. "Impossible," he said again, more to himself than to me. "Where did you come from? You have none of the reek of elves on you. How did you escape the curse?"

I could feel Ash's breath on my hair as he deliberately provoked Zee with a proprietary, appreciative caress of his hard-won female. I stood stiffly, and managed not to roll my eyes. "The real question is, where did little Hope come from, hmmm...?" Ash purred. "And why didn't you wake soon enough to claim her?"

Zee's eyes narrowed as he regarded Ash and I. "I _have_ claimed her. She wears my mark. And I was to wake when the elven bitch had her firstborn, or when Hope reached maturity." His voice turned low and dangerous. "_How did you find out about Hope?_"

"Make you a deal," I said, voice cold. "Tell us what you had planned for her. And we'll tell you how we found out about her."

"And maybe you don't get an extended holiday on the surface when Dali and Newt find out about you making promises to elves that you can't keep," Ash added, lightly stroking my arm. His affection was all a show for Zee's benefit, but I found it reassuring all the same. He was enjoying the hell out of himself, wasn't he?

Zee's black eyes were cold as ice. The demon might have been old and powerful, but we did have him over a barrel and he knew it. He sat down on the stone dais, sullenly glaring at nothing. "I should sue you for trespassing," he muttered.

"Sure. After I sue your ass for trying to kill me and my woman," Ash replied coldly.

Zee shrugged. "You trespassed."

"After _you_ provoked me into coming over," Ash said lightly. "You're such an idiot."

Zee didn't rise to the bait this time. "I apologize," he said to me, very stiffly. "For invading your mind. For mistaking you for Hope."

"You wouldn't be the first," I grumbled. This whole thing had started when everyone'd started blaming _me_ for Hope's actions. "And my name is _Evie._ And I'm not _his_ woman, he's _my_ demon," I added haughtily, and Ash made an amused snort behind me. "Your original elven summoners are dead. Ellasbeth doesn't know the details of your agreement. Hope still wears your mark, but she doesn't remember getting it. Someone else is contesting your claim on her, so you'd better fess up to us or you'll end up in court."

Zee contemplated me coldly. He was nothing at all like he'd been when I'd summoned him years ago- well, OK, the arrogant disdain hadn't changed, but he had obviously forgotten all about our previous meeting- not surprising, now that I'd had my makeover. "Who challenges my claim?"

"I do. And Rachel Morgan. And Newt." I smiled grimly. "Us ladies have to stick together."

The last of Zee's defiance melted as he caught my meaning. Not just two, but three demon women were arrayed against him. He folded his arms and gave me a very sullen look. "By what right?"

"Oh, no...not until you spill your side of the story, bub," Ash said smugly. "And don't give me that look. Things are changing. You sleep in, you lose."

Zee closed his eyes, a searching expression on his face. "The elven bitch is about to spawn," he said. "Did _she_ put you up to this?"

"Unlike you, Uncle Zee, I don't deal with elves," Ash replied primly. "Anything else you'd like to stall with?"

Zee's black eyes returned to the huge glyph he sat on. "I'm sure it was obvious. It was just a simple swap. I fix an elf, they fix a demon. I didn't even have to fix the little weevil, I just had to give them a DNA sample. Easy enough."

"Aaaand why did you think you could get away with it? You know Newt's feelings on the subject-"

"I didn't create Hope to _breed _her," Zee insisted, features twisted with disgust. "She's of my _blood_, for fuck's sake."

Ash took a step back, eyes wide. "Seriously?"

_Heh. You draw the line at incest? _I asked Ash wryly._ Color me shocked._

_Oh, don't worry, love, you haven't misjudged us. _ Ash snickered in my head. _Only blood that tastes worse than another male's is your own. You can fuck your blood relatives all you want, you just can't have __**kids**__ with them._

Oh, _ew._ Where was a good brick wall when you needed one? I really needed something to pound my head against. Demons. I fucking _hate_ demons. _Why_ did I have to be born a demon?

Zee had already continued, "Do you know how long we've been working on this? I can't fucking believe it's fallen apart now. Newt's going to be pissed."

Ash and I looked at each other. "Wait...Newt was in on this...?" I" asked, bewildered.

"It was her idea," Zee said. "Centuries ago." He shrugged. "She probably forgot. Or rather, Minias probably helped her forget. But I can make her remember when the time comes."

Ash looked as befuddled as I did. We'd thought we'd had the answer- wasn't it obvious? Zee wanted a mate, so he'd worked in secret with the elves to get one, right?

_Right…?_

"What, exactly, have you been working on?" Ash asked carefully.

Zee raised his eyes to his children once more. "_Escape_," he breathed.


	88. The Perfect Vessel

**In Which Possible Escape Routes Are Discussed  
**

_Escape. _It figured. If I'd given it a moment's thought, I'd have guessed that this wasn't about something as simple as a mail-order demon bride for a lonely demon, or for increasing their numbers. _Of course_ the demons of the Ever After didn't give a damn about procreation and saving their nonexistant future children. The demons of the Ever After were fucking _immortal_, not to mention fucking selfish. The demons of the Ever After wanted, more than anything else, to escape their prison!

The question was, how could a demon girl help anyone here escape? The demons were magically and psychically bound to the Ever After. It was irrevocably stamped onto their entire existence. As long as the Ever After existed, they'd be stuck here- and if it vanished, they'd vanish with it. And how the hell was Newt involved in all this?

Ash stared at Zee a moment longer, obviously adding Zee plus Newt and getting Big Trouble. "You clever little shit!" Ash exclaimed. "No wonder Newt had to be involved! She's the only one left with the ability to do it!"

"Do _what_?" I asked, exasperated. Now I wanted to know for the sake of my own skin, and Rachel's. For all I knew, this plan involved our existence as well...could we potentially be used in the same way Zee wanted to use Hope?"

"Possession. Hope's body isn't bound to the Ever After."

"But...haven't demons been doing that for ages?" I asked, confused. It had often occurred to me that demons could escape through possession of another's body- hell, Rachel had told me about Lee Saladin, how Al had possessed him and was able to walk freely in the sunlight for days- potentially indefinitely, if Lee's body hadn't been attacked by a vampire and all but devoured. Lee's mind had still been trapped in there, helpless and powerless. "I mean, there's any number of witches out there who you could trick out of their bodies, I'm sure."

"Yes...but who wants to be trapped in the body of a mere witch? You only have the power of the host body. Not to mention, the smut makes you stick out like a sore thumb," Ash replied.

"Better to remain in hell then to wander the world in an inferior vessel," Zee said. "It will eventually succumb to the stress of the magic we command. Like any other familiar."

I swallowed, wondering how many human, witch, or potentially even elven "vessels" they'd worn out before figuring out that bit. "So..." I said, seeing it, "So you had no other option than to get an actual demon body. And only the elves could make one that wasn't cursed with Rosewood syndrome?"

Zee nodded, while Ash looked curious. "How long have you been working on this?"

"Since the Turn" Zee said. "The elves are finally desperate enough, now that they've nearly been wiped out."

Ash went still. "Who else, Zee? You couldn't plot your way out of a paper bag. Who else is in on this?" Zee grinned at the suspicion in Ash's voice, and didn't answer. Ash swore. "It's the whole _Vaedthaysava_ thing all over again, isn't it? You mean to tell me you fuckers are _still_ at it, even after the whole Ku'Sox fiasco, and the sanctions, and the surface time...?"

_Vaedthaysava? Ku'Sox fiasco? _

_Yeah, even the Ever After has its tinfoil hat brigade. I thought that spending a few centuries up top without familiars would have cured them of their crazy aspirations._

I tried to imagine what a century of living on the surface of the Ever After would do to a demon, and shivered. No wonder Zee was a little unhinged. And no familiars? Perhaps that's where all the smut came from? "OK, what about Ku'Sox, then?" I asked. "Why is _he_ able to walk under the sun?"

Both demons shifted uncomfortably. "He was...a misbegotten attempt at creating a superior vessel to house a demon soul," Zee said. "Son of the best of us. Soulless and perfect, with the full abilities of both our males and females, uncursed by elves and free of the Ever After. A beautiful creation, really…"

"... until you stuck your test subject in there, and he grew up to be bugfuck crazy," Ash said wryly.

"How were we to know?" Zee said defensively.

"You let _Newt _train him. What did you expect?"

"She wasn't_ insane_, then," Zee said, still on the defense. "And she _so_ wanted a child of her own. No, the vessel was flawed. We know what went wrong. And nobody would let us try again-"

"Because Ku'Sox convinced Newt to kill off the rest of our women, so he'd be the only one of his kind!" Ash shouted. "Then Newt went batshit on us too! Seriously, Zee, if Dali finds out about this, they won't make an exception for you- they'll kill you this time."

Zee didn't look worried in the least. "It will work. They'll see we were right. We have the perfect host. Blood of my blood—"

"Wait…" I recalled what he'd said earlier. "She's related to you?"

"I fathered her on the witch, in the guise of her man. Took three tries before she finally produced a female. Not that I minded that part," he said with a lascivious grin.

"But she's a girl and you're a…guy…?" I said questioningly, suddenly feeling stupid as I remembered that a demon could take on whatever freakin' form he or she wanted. What would the gender of the doomed possessed individual matter to them? And yes, both Ash and Zee were giving me a very patronizing look.

"It's not like we'd have to keep a female _shape_," Ash said. "True, we'd be unable to father a child- an incompatible soul would probably render the body sterile, too. But I suppose none of us are so proud that we wouldn't trade in our nuts for freedom, not after all these years in exile."

"And just think of the _power_," Zee said dreamily.

"And what about Hope? What about _her_ soul?" I demanded, the anger and disgust finally rising to overwhelm my common sense.

Zee gazed at me blankly. "What about it?"

"She's your _daughter!_" I shouted. "She's your own daughter and you're just going to kick out her soul and take over her body? You'll just leave her in there, trapped and powerless?" Ash put a placating hand on my shoulder, perhaps to calm me, but I shrugged him off angrily and stepped a few paces away from them both. _You could always let me pilot for awhile, _Ash had said. I suddenly realized what that might have meant. Once he was in there, there'd be nothing stopping him from staying. I shivered, and cast a suspicious glance at my demon. Was that _his_ ultimate goal...? To use me to escape the Ever After? I felt sick again, weak and shaky, as I contemplated an eternity of being trapped in my own skin as someone else committed atrocities with my hands, in my name.

"Evie...?" Ash said, sounding concerned, but I took another step back and fell on my ass, feeling the sharp edges of one of Zee's lifelike sculptures as I crushed it.

"I won't let you," I growled, to both of them. "Fuck you, Zee. I won't let you do that to her."

Zee rose, black eyes narrowed and staff clutched in his hand. "You can't stop me," he said.

"But Newt can," I retorted, not sure if Newt would want to…or whether Newt had taken the girl with this very thought in mind. Suddenly I felt even sicker. Hope wouldn't have a prayer, if that's what Newt really wanted.

Ash stepped between me and the pissed off older demon, hands up placatingly. "Before this gets out of hand, children, may I remind you that we do have other things to discuss. Attempted murder, for one thing."

"And you will tell me how you found out about Hope," Zee said smoothly, seating himself again and laying the staff across his knees. "I seem to recall that was our deal."

I was shaking with fury, but I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart. I guess I had sort of made a deal, hadn't I? "Fine. Fine. I found out about Hope when she…" What exactly was the term for it, for demons going a little nutso when sensing Ash and I, uh, playing in the lines?

Ash chuckled. "Weren't you paying attention last night, Zee? When I got my claws into my lovely Evie, here?"

Zee sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course. Didn't see that one coming. She attacked someone, didn't she?"

"Blew up a building. Lost herself in the lines. Newt retrieved her."

Zee stared at Ash, comprehension dawning. "Oh…shit." His black eyes turned back to me. "And how did you get involved?"

"I was looking for Newt at the time. I found them both. Newt has her now."

Zee was silent for a long time. "Fuck," he said finally…and promptly vanished.

Ash and I stared at where he'd been for a few long seconds. "I suppose we should follow him," Ash said.

I didn't answer, just stood there with my arms wrapped around my chest, feeling sick and lost and furiously, helplessly angry. Ash moved to touch me and I slapped his hand away with far more force than necessary. He blinked at my reaction. "Evie…?" he asked again.

"Is that what you want, too?" I asked him, my own venom every bit as caustic as his. "Is that why you've claimed me, and marked me, and everything else? To steal my body and use me to escape this shithole?"

Ash's bafflement was too genuine to be faked. "What? No! Evie, Zee's a couple of plums short of a fruitbasket. It can't possibly work, anyway. Do you think we haven't tried this before? They always die, the host bodies…the only reason Ku'Sox is still alive is because the host body never had a soul to begin with. Besides, I wouldn't…why would you think that's what I wanted?"

"Ash…I still don't know what the hell you want from me," I replied in a low voice. "And after today? After…this?" I indicated the garden, lit by the trapped souls of elven children and created by a madman. "I can see now that there is nothing, _nothing_ a demon wouldn't stoop to." My voice was shaking, and I wanted to hurt something. I wanted to hurt Zee, but Ash was a demon, too, and he wasn't any less of a monster.

Ash stared at me, face blank. His lips parted as if he would speak, then pressed together. He wouldn't deny it. He just stood there, expressionless, and I was suddenly absolutely furious with him.

"Say something, damn you! Is this fun for you, rubbing my nose in it? I'm entertainment, isn't that what you said? You_ look forward _to shattering my innocence, right? Well, consider it shattered! Happy now?"

Ash's face twisted into an expression I couldn't name- somewhere between confusion and chagrin and smelling something foul. "Why are you mad at _me_?" he asked quietly, honestly bewildered.

"I don't know!" I shouted, kicking at one of Zee's beautiful creations and sending it toppling into ruin, and doing a number on my foot in the process. The pain was sharp, and not unwelcome. I kicked another, even as blood began to seep from the gash on my ankle from the sharp stone. "It's all just so…_hideous_, and you don't even _care_, and you're reveling in showing it off to me, and...and…" I sent a blast of furious, unfocused, inelegant ley line energy into Zee's garden, and leveled another of his priceless sculptures. I turned to Ash, unable to see his face anymore for the tears blurring my eyes. "And I know it's stupid, but I want you to be _better_ than that!"

Ah, yes. That was it. I was the idiot here, for continually assuming…hoping…that Ash could be more than he was. But he wasn't…and what's more, he didn't _want_ to be.

Now the pain of my wounds wasn't therapeutic, it just hurt, a lot. I sat down on the huge stone circle, hurting, and feeling far more foolish than I'd expected over my little tantrum. I couldn't meet Ash's eyes, even after hastily wiping away the tears of frustration. I had to be stronger than this. But how? If I kept letting myself feel so strongly about things, he'd break me, and I had a long, empty eternity ahead of me with Ash at my side. On the other hand, if I stopped feeling, I'd become like _them_…cold, calculating, selfish. It was impossible and daunting and I didn't want to face it, I just wanted to curl up and hide somewhere.

"We…we should go," Ash said finally.

I nodded, but I didn't look up. I expected him to be pissed at me- he always had been when I'd rejected his darkness before, but there was absolutely no expression in his toneless voice. I forced myself to my feet and limped to his side. I heard him make an irritable _tsk_ sound, and a wave of Ever After coursed over my body, healing it of injury.

"Yvette, Yvette…" he said carefully, then paused, thinking. He took my arm under his, and there was no anger in his movements. "For all that you sound like my mother," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice, "I still want to take you home and fuck you raw. I'm not about to give up _my_ nuts any time soon."

I glanced at him, startled, to see him giving me a very crooked, but very real, smile. Wait. This was usually the part where we started trying to kill each other, wasn't it? I wasn't sure what to make of it. Either he was avoiding or postponing the confrontation, or…I felt my anger sizzle into confusion.

Ash snickered at the look on my face. He gave me a squeeze that managed to be affectionate and smug at the same time. "Come on, love. Pull yourself together. Places to be. People to sue. You know." Before I could even come up with a reply, we dissolved into a thought, off to our next destination.

* * *

**author's note:**

Etymology of the name group of rebels working to escape the Ever After, again inspired by Avestan:

_Vaēδayana_= attainment

_Sava_= benefit, salvation

And I figured out why the whole Zee subplot hadn't been working...Zee wasn't working alone. Of course there was a bigger conspiracy. Of course Newt was in on it! Duh! :)


	89. The Calm Before

_Confrontation coming soon!_

**In Which Evie Stumbles**

I was only mildly surprised that we reappeared in Ash's rooms rather than Newt's. But as Ash said, "It's one thing to peek in on your relative, especially after he deliberately pokes you in the eye, but visit Newt uninvited? Quicker and less painful to just jump into the volcano yourself."

I just stared at the fire as Ash tried to contact Newt. I still felt off-balance and horrible- the events of the day had all blurred into one long blur of despairing colors and meaningless shapes, and I was starting to have trouble making sense of them any longer. I probably needed a nap. Or a vacation. All I could think was, _Ash is right. Al's going to have a field day ripping my psyche to shreds._ _Yay._

I just sat there tracing the events back to their source. Perhaps if I hadn't pissed off that vamp family, they might not have summoned Ash that night? But how was the death of the matriarch's son my fault? He'd have been the pissed one if I'd refused his request and not helped him summon Al, anyway. But it was earlier than that…perhaps if I hadn't gone back to Colorado in the first place…? Never learned a demon summoning name to begin with? No, the idiocy went all the way back to my youth. I was the one dumb enough to fall for Ash's lies in the first place, then the one dumb enough to go back to summoning when I should have just kicked that idiot kid out of my class and been done with it.

And I was angry. So, so angry at...just...everything. The cruelty of pretty much everyone I'd met today was just…on a higher scale than I'd imagined. And I'd seen a lot. I found my thoughts turning darker and darker as I sat there, staring at the flames, the inescapable stench of burnt amber like my own soul burning.

Was I already damned? Was it inevitable? Did it make a difference if I fell now or later?

"Evie?"

I realized Ash had said something, and looked up at him morosely. "She there?"

"Yup. Mad as a wet wolverine. You all right?" I didn't reply, just stared at him. He raised a brow and cocked his head expectantly. The silence made him shift weight a little nervously. I could almost hear him thinking, _Oh for fuck's sake, what __**now**__? _"Well…?" he asked impatiently.

I looked at my hands. "I want to kill Zee," I said, and Ash laughed.

I didn't.

Ash's voice was less amused now and much more surprised. "Zee? Why? I mean, he's a repulsive little worm, no argument there, but-"

"What would they do to me if I killed him?" I asked.

"Do?" Ash was clearly taken aback. "Um. Well, it depends. But there's no way _you_ could possibly do it. Kill an elf in self-defense, sure, but outright murder someone in cold blood? That's just…not _you_, love."

_Not yet._ "What would they do to me?" I asked again, still staring at my hands.

"Shit, I honestly don't know," Ash said. "It hasn't been an issue in such a long time—"

"Newt killed demons," I said.

"She's batshit. What's your excuse?" I just stared at him. "Oh. I honestly thought you'd last longer than a_ month_," he said teasingly. He winced as the humor fell flat and lay there bleeding. "Drop it, love. You can't kill Zee, and he'd likely blast both of us to useless chunks if you tried. Come on, let's get this over with. Then we can plot how to avenge ourselves on Zee."

I couldn't move. I didn't want to find out how this story ended. I figured I already knew. Newt would give Hope back to Zee. Newt would possess the girl herself. Newt would wash her hands of the whole mess, selling Hope to the highest bidder. Newt would stick Hope in a bottle just to spite everyone. Or perhaps the best case scenario- Newt would keep Hope for her own, raising another crazy Ku'Sox, female this time. And if she didn't give Hope back to Zee, then Zee would add another little lantern to his collection, and the elves would declare open season on Rachel and I out of vengeance and spite. Which wouldn't be hugely problematic, since we'd both probably be shunned and banished from reality anyway.

Ash was looking concerned now. "Evie, you have to come with me. Zee's blowing things up left and right, now that he's found out about your mark. This has to be settled before more demons get involved, or you don't have a prayer of saving the little elven bitch's kid."

That made me blink and stare at him. "You give a damn about that?" I asked doubtfully.

"No, but _you_ do," he said.

_And just what did __**that**__ mean? Surely he wasn't saying he wanted to help out of—_

"You promised the Ice Queen you'd do what you could," he clarified. "Don't you recall our first rule, love? We have to do our best to keep our word, or Newt gets all bent out of shape and bad things happen, yes?"

_Oh. Of course._ "I wasn't in a circle at the time," I replied, voice surly.

"True," he said with a smile.

"So tell me again why you give a damn?"

Ash huffed and yanked me up impatiently. "Because _you _do, you little idiot. Beats me why, but you give up now and I'll have to listen to you angst about your guilt for the next century. Woe is you and all that. Not a chance- you're fucked up enough as it is. Now get _off_ your ass before I _kick_ it across the Ever After!"

I really didn't want to be touched, but it was reassuring to find myself pressed against his warm chest. He was right, unflattering as it was. "Thanks for coming with me," I said.

"Are you kidding? This is more excitement than I've had in ages." He raised my chin to gaze at me thoughtfully, a hint of something wary in his eyes. His eyes glanced at the scar on my cheek and I saw a flicker of consternation on his face, quickly hidden.

"What?" I asked, unresisting. I had a fleeting thought of how weird it was, for me to be so casual about touching him after a lifetime of being terrified of him. But then….now, _he was all I had._ I should probably have put up more of a fight before reaching this truce. But I was feeling sick to my soul. I didn't feel like I had much fight left in me. I was never a fighter. I was a strategic retreat-er. But Ash was right. I'd never forgive myself if I ran away from Hope.

"I didn't realize how badly that would hurt you," he said, and I scowled at him.

"Yes, you did, you asshole. Don't deny it- you didn't _have_ to tell me about the soul globes. You just did it to hurt me."

His brows knit. "Well, of course, you're right- I was pissed. I just didn't realize…" It wasn't regret in his voice, it was more concern that he'd miscalculated. He was a master at manipulation, after all. "You're close to losing it, Evie. You're viciously angry- you'll do something you'll regret if you're not careful."

The emotional numbness wasn't numbness, not really. It was only a suppression of the hatred that boiled in me, and which bubbled over afresh in my heart at his words. "I wouldn't regret killing Zee," I said, feeling every bit as vicious as he said.

"Yes you would. You're not really mad at him. Your fury is undirected." He laughed as I glared at him. "Gosh, demons have _never_ had to deal _this_ issue before," he said sarcastically. "_Our_ lives have all been sunshine and daisies, with Blind Lady Justice herself tripping around with a cape and sword righting all wrongs done to us." He grinned as I deflated, admitting his point. "It needs a target. If you don't find an outlet, you'll direct it inward and destroy yourself…" He trailed off, the breath of his next words still on his lips. The pause stretched far too long.

"So what are you suggesting…?" I asked skeptically.

"I was going to say direct it at me, but…I find I'm not very thrilled at the idea. I'm your _yazataksh,_ Evie. It's my job to advise you and shit, and bear the brunt of your pain and anger." He swallowed, then made a huffy, frustrated sigh. "So my advice is, don't do anything stupid you'll regret."

He wilted a little under the spotlight of whatever expression was on my face. "You call _that_ advice?" I said finally. "Ash…I'm beginning to think you'll be a pretty shitty mentor. No offense."

Ash's eyes shifted to the side, unable to keep my gaze. He was worried. _Really_ worried. _Great. Now __**I'm**__ worried about my sanity, too. Peachy._ "Just… for the love of Newt, leave any killing to be done to the professionals, eh? Don't try it."

I rolled my eyes. My momentary delusions of homicide had passed and I felt a wee bit more myself again. I would bring a world of hurt down on Zee, if I could, but Ash was right- I wasn't an outright killer. Yet. Still, his words had left me with yet another feeling of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. I needed my anchor, my spiritual advisor. And so far…? Apart from rescuing me from the lines a second time after the failed curse, Ash had been doing a pretty_ lousy_ job of it.

"All right, I'm fine. I won't do anything dumb. I'll just rant and cuss a lot. Maybe I'll come up with something clever to save the day. Happy?"

Ash snorted with amusement. "That would be simply _lovely_. Come along, now- keeping Newt waiting isn't good for anyone's health."


	90. Truth and Lies

**In Which There is Still Hope (To be Dealt With)**

The first person I saw upon arriving, and certainly the last person I expected to see whole, healthy, and smiling, was Hope. I wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not. She was sitting on a perfectly normal looking set of little round cushions, sipping something from a wine glass, attended by a demon in the guise of an extremely buffed and virile-looking twenty-something dude in a white silk pirate shirt and you've-got-to-be-kidding honest-to-god _pirate pantaloons_. He looked familiar, and after a moment or two I recognized the resemblance to Fabio. I hid my snicker in my sleeve. Demons could be any stud _du jour _they wanted to be...it's just that their information was usually a few decades- or centuries- out of date...

I grinned at them, immediately feeling better. Hope looked relaxed and happy, flirting with the pirate wannabee and possibly unaware that he was a demon in disguise. I hated to spoil the mood, but...

Hope looked up as we entered and waved. "Hi, Evie," she said, and I felt another little jolt of surprise. She'd remembered me? "Newt said you'd be coming. Is Rachel with you?"

"Um, no...I'm afraid she's stuck in Cincinnati taking care of a problem-" I paused at the crash of sound, unable to identify where it came from.

Hope took a sip of her drink. "Mommy and Daddy are fighting again," she said in the voice of a little girl, and I stared at her blankly, shocked. She gave me a huff and an eyeroll to emphasize that she was just _kidding,_ _Stupid_head. "He came by a few minutes ago. Newt sent Nebby here to keep me company while she discussed whatever they're discussing in there over tea and cookies—and fireballs and lightening bolts and melty walls and stuff."

I shared an incredulous look with Ash- a coherent Hope was about the last thing I was expecting. A coherent Hope with a sense of humor, no less! I introduced Ash, and he and Nebiros gave each other smirky little man-nods of greeting. "How are you doing?" I asked casually, trying not to sound overly cautious.

Hope shrugged. "My brain is swiss cheese, apparently. But Newt and I spent a bunch of time sorta shoring up what wasn't fried. At least I'm remembering _some _stuff now instead of forgetting everything right away." She sipped her drink again. I noted that whatever it was, it didn't look like it tasted very good. And Nebby was pouring her refill out of a little vial instead of a pitcher.

"What's that?" I asked.

Hope looked at her drink and grimaced. "Potion. What's this one do again, Nebby?"

"Your soul's still in shreds- this helps." Hope signed and downed it, wiping her mouth on her sleeve in lieu of spewing it onto the cushions like she obviously wanted to. "You've had all three doses- invoke one now, and use the others when the zaps come back." He gave her the phrase, and she repeated the invocation without hesitation. There was a shiver of ever-after around her, but no other bells and whistles.

"Zaps...?"I asked.

"Like the shakes, except nastier," Ash said. "You never got them- it's a symptom of a damaged soul."

"Newt said she invented this one," Hope said.

"She's the expert on damaged souls," Nebiros said, rather more snidely than necessary. I had a feeling he didn't talk that way before his mistress- not unless he enjoyed liver, anyway.

Another muffled explosion rattled the rows of vials on a shelf nearby. "Um... Ash, should we go in?" I asked.

Ash gave me an incredulous look. "I already rebuilt you once today, love. Don't push your luck or-" He brightened. "Oh, hey! I almost forgot- I get a real mark! It's about fucking time!"

I looked down, surprised, then blinked at him. "You didn't upgrade it yet? Geez, the way you've been gloating about it..." I slapped his hand away as he reached for the mark on my chest. "Not _NOW,_" I hissed. _ If it's going to be a big deal, you're going to do it properly. And in __**private**_, I added, the mental image of writhing around on the carpet in either pain or bliss in front of these two enough to make me blush.

Ash made a mock disappointed noise as Nebiros (I'd already nicknamed him "Fabios" in my head) made a mock _do not want to kno__w_ gesture with his hand. Hope just scowled. "Yes. About this whole mark thing...what the hell are these for?" She lifted the large bell-like sleeve of the rich kimono she wore to reveal the three circles there. "Newt didn't remember."

_Of course she didn't... _"I guess that's what she and Zee are fighting over now," I said. "How much do _you _remember?"

Hope stretched. "Woke up covered in rubble in a pretty garden. With three crazy chicks telling me I died after I blew up a building, and that my oldest family friend is actually a demon in disguise who wants my soul-"

"Nah, just your body," Ash said, waggling his eyebrows villainously..

Hope gave Ash a fearless glare. "AND Newt won't let me call my parents...and she says I have to stay here with her, because of...well, because of my memory, and to keep me safe. Is she lying?"

"Of course not," Nebiros said soothingly, and Hope turned her glare on him. She might find him pretty, but she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Good instincts. Good for her!

"I wish she were," I said.

"So Zee wants to know by what right you marked me, and frankly I'm kind of ticked off about it too, you know. So what the hell, Evie?"

"I...didn't know what else to do at the time." How did I explain this mess? "Look, Rachel and I only found out about this whole being-a-demon thing in the last year or so. We're just, well, normal women, otherwise. We're not out to screw you over- unlike everyone else here."

Ash looked offended and huffed. "_I'm_ not. One female is MORE than enough trouble for me."

Hope lifted an eyebrow as I rolled my eyes. "No, you can't trust_ him _either. Look, the mark thing, it just means that you agree to owe Rachel and I a debt. You can say no, and we'll take our marks off, but we lose any say in what happens to you. Hell, you can say no to Newt's mark, too- it just means you'll belong to Zee. Or you'll be dead."

Hope just stared at me with narrowed eyes. "You're not lying, are you? I'm supposed to be able to tell, now."

"Another of Newt's inventions," Nebiros said smugly. "She's been dipping into some of her old recipes."

"Nice. I'd trade a mark for a potion that would let me know when demons were lying," I said, half seriously, half wistfully.

"It's easy," Ash said. "Our lips are moving. And the potion does have some nasty side effects."

"Let me guess...impatience, irritability, and a tendency to try to kill any other demon you encounter within five minutes of meeting him?" I said. "Because I don't think those are side effects of the _potion._"

"So maybe next you can tell me why Zee is freaking out at Newt and won't even talk to me? I've known him all my life. He stopped in every birthday to check in. Mom told me he's related- I mean, I knew I was adopted, right, and she said Zee's my only living blood relative-"

"Not true! You have a cousin, too," Ash said brightly, indicating himself. Hope gave him an incredulous look..

Heh, he was right. "Do family ties mean squat in the Ever After?" I asked.

"After a few thousand years? Not unless someone owes you money," Ash said.

"You're my...cousin? How do you figure?" Hope asked.

I winced. This walking on eggshells thing was driving me crazy again. Hope seemed to have her act together, at least enough to recall our last meeting, and what Newt had told her in the interim. "Hope...did you know that Zee's your birth father?"

Hope looked sick. "This is getting freaky again," she said, glaring at Nebiros. "Are you sure the truth potion thing is working? Newt wasn't sure she remembered it right."

"I love Newt. She's my favorite person in the Ever After," Nebiros replied sanctimoniously.

"Liar."

"There, see? It's working just fine, dear one," he reassured her.

"Ugh. Don't call me that." She passed him the empty glass, sat back on the cushion and fluffed her kimono. "And here I was hoping you'd tell me I was a long-lost princess. Unless Zee's royalty? And what's next? My foster parents are super secret agents for the government?"

"They're super secret elves in hiding, does that count?" I asked.

Hope just gaped at me.

"Oh, come on...they never told you?" I asked, conveniently forgetting that prior to meeting the homicidal Shane, I'd thought the elves were extinct too.

Hope did a mental check. "Damnit. You're not lying about that, either!" She made a wince of discomfort or disgust. "I think I preferred it when I couldn't tell. Then I could just laugh all this off as some sick joke. This kind of sucks, really."

"Now you know why Newt stopped using it," Nebiros said. "And why she's insane and kind of cranky, too."

"My foster parents are elves. My real parents are demons. And now I'm the subject of some sort of custody battle between my real dad and...oh, God, Newt's not my real mom or something, is she?" she asked, dreading the answer. She looked relieved when it was negative. "Anything else?"

I thought for a moment. "Umm...the elves are at war with the demons, and Zee wants to chuck out your soul and steal your body so he can escape the Ever After. Apart from that...? I think we're all up to speed now."

Hope's lip curled with disgust, though her face was looking hurt and betrayed. "He does...? All those years, and he...he gave me a_ pony_ for my birthday when I was eight!" she wailed.

"No kidding? Where'd _Zee_ get a _pony_?" Ash asked, impressed.

"Well...OK, my parents said it was from him. Maybe they...lied..." She stared at me with a beseeching expression, and the look on her face broke my heart.

"I don't know for sure how much they know about all of this," I said quietly.

"You know more than you're telling me. So they know more than they've ever told me. And you said the demons and the elves are at war...?" A horrible suspicion crept over her face, and I felt as sick as she looked. She looked at her empty hands, clenched into fists. "Did they know I'm a demon?"

"Yes."

Hope glared at me angrily, but I couldn't blame her for being furious with the messenger. "And they knew about Zee?" I nodded, and the fury began to crack. "And they know what Zee wants to do to me...?"

"I...I don't know." I was relieved to leave her at least that much hope.

"No, you don't...but you _believe_ they do, don't you?" she said quietly, voice breaking.

"I've met Ellasbeth Withon and her entourage. I've met Trent Kalamack and his. And I've met Shane, who tried to kill me. I haven't met your parents, but I honestly don't have a great opinion of the high moral character of elves at the moment. I'd love to give your parents the benefit of the doubt, but..."

"Who's Ellasbeth? Wait. You mean Beth? Beth Withon? Dr. Withon down the hall? Ready to pop any day now?" Hope blinked. "She's an _elf?_!"

"So's Aiden Fain," I said, wondering how much longer Hope and I had to chat before Newt finished her rather noisy chat with Zee. Zee could burst in any minute and try to possess Hope- and I had a sneaking suspicion that Hope had to be willing. Everything that Al and Ash had done to me had required a minimum of consent on my part, so why would Hope be any different? I thought I had the picture now- Zee would have used her ignorance to sweet-talk her and trick her, so her best defense was forewarning.

Ash had pulled Nebiros for a private chat, and I heard Newt's name mentioned several times. Hope was still digesting the news that elves existed. "This is so fucked up. What else do you know?"

"OK- in a nutshell: I spoke to Ellasbeth about an hour ago. She doesn't know the details of the deal, only that her parents fixed a demon girl in exchange for what they needed to fix her own child." I quickly explained about the mutual curses the demons and elves had laid upon each other. "So if you're not there when she gives birth, Zee will take her child."

"So...if I don't do what Zee wants, he'll possess a _baby_ instead?" Hope asked, aghast.

"No, he can't possess an elven baby, so..." I closed my eyes, thinking of Zee's garden. "I think he'll just steal its soul."

"No," Zee said, making everyone jump. He'd appeared out of nowhere, glaring at me with ages of malevolence in his black eyes. "No, I won't _just _steal its soul."


	91. and Lying with the Truth

_This past week has been terribly frustrating, but the frustration turned out to be kinda cathartic as far as the story is concerned. This whole chapter was a surprise, and about ten times better than the version that was in my head last week. One of those "I knew where it was going but not how it was going to get there" kinda things._

_Oh, Newt. __I...did not see that reaction coming. At all. _

**In Which Hope is Finally Presented With Her Options**

Hope stared at the demon who'd sired her with fascinated, helpless hurt crumpling her young features. "Uncle Zee?" she asked, still reaching for something, anything, familiar from her old life. Yeah. I knew how that felt.

Zee seemed to recall himself- or perhaps he thought perhaps he could salvage the situation. "You know I don't really want to do that, honey," he said. "Tell Yvette Therese Sinclaire to remove her mark from you. Why should you listen to her, anyway? Do you think she wants to help you? Ask yourself what her motives might be- after all, look who she's mated to. A demon who hunts and captures familiars for enslavement!"

Hope's eyes darted back to me. I shrugged. "It's true, Ash has tricked me out of just about everything but my soul, and he hasn't stopped trying to get that, either." Ash slipped an arm around me, smirking, but I was too weary to sock him or pull away. "It's part of why I wanted to help you out, before you end up like me."

"Am I that bad...?" Ash asked, mock hurt on his face.

"Most of the time," I replied. "It's exhausting." I'd meant the mental games were exhausting, but Hope's raised eyebrow made me realize how else it could be taken, and I blushed fiercely. Ash just sniggered, reaching around to caress his mark. I slapped his hand away again, really not needing the reminder that he could probably have me right here in front of everyone if he triggered it unexpectedly. And now it would be a true mark, the soul-binding kind, as soon as this latest batch of madness was over. _Damn it. _ "I swear I don't have any ulterior motives I'm not telling you."

Hope gave me a measuring look. "But you do," she said, nose crinkling, and I was a little taken aback.

"I do? What haven't I told you...?" I asked, searching my brain.

"The Coven and the elves are blaming her for pretty much everything," Ash said. "The research lab, the deaths, you getting away, everything." He sounded bored. "The Coven has shunned her, and the elves will send nasty elven curses her way if she screws this up."

"Oh. Right. That. OK, yeah, I'd like to clear my name," I said a little sheepishly.

"See...?" Zee said. "She doesn't care about you, she's only looking out for herself. You barely know her. Your safety and well-being have always been _my _highest priority, you know that. And what is your alternative? Newt? She can barely take care of herself, let alone guide you to your full potential."

Hope was smart, but she was also inexperienced. She wasn't totally naïve, but she also hadn't dealt with demons for years. I could see that Zee, the beloved uncle (who'd given her a _pony,_ for crying out loud), was still a more trusted figure than I- some stranger who'd laid a partial claim to her soul without permission, who was practically married to a demon herself and was older than she looked. And to make it worse, nothing Zee said had been an outright lie either.

"Tell her to take off her mark. Tell Newt you want them all removed. You don't need them.  
I'm your father, Hope- I gave you up because I didn't want you trapped in our darkness. Yes, you were a peace offering to our ancient enemies, because if you are to live happily under the sun, you need their protection rather than their enmity. You-"

Zee blinked as Newt burst out laughing, and whacked him with a pillow. "Listen to you. One might almost believe you're not the psychotic creepy little pervert that you are! When did you grow such a silver tongue, Zaebos? Perhaps I ought to rip it out and see if it's really yours?"

Zee muttered something as Newt, still in the guise of a dark-skinned young woman with amazing dreads, sat herself on the cushions next to Hope. "And Newt," he said quickly, still speaking to Hope. "She's insane. You know that! She's killed demons one moment and forgotten entirely why she did it the next. She turns on those she loves. About two thousands year ago? She killed off her family. All of them. Including her beloved sisters."

Hope gave Newt a shocked, despairing look which Newt returned serenely. "I had a reason. It wasn't a very good one, I admit. I tried to atone for it. I threw myself into the lines, and my _yazataksh_ had to fish me out again. Took Dali the better part of a day to get me back, because I didn't want to be found. The curses they bound me with to keep me here against my will...they're not pleasant. You might say they make me a little moody." Newt grinned wickedly at Zee. "But do go on. I'd love to see you try to convince her you _aren't _planning to use her as dreadfully as the rest of us, if she goes with you. Go on. I'd love to hear your spin on this."

Zee bared his teeth at Newt, but didn't reply. Hope was staring at the three of us with tremulous despair. She looked at Zee expectantly. "Well...? Is what Evie said true?"

Zee glared at me again. I glared right back. "What did she tell you?"

"That you're going to possess my body so you can get out of the Ever After? That that's the only reason you gave a damn about me? That you made a deal with your enemies so you could get out of here, and you'll hurt a baby if I don't do what you want?"

Zee leaned on his staff, looking old. "My dear, nobody could force you into such an arrangement. But don't be fooled-that's ultimately what Newt desires of you, too-"

"Liar," Hope said softly. "Newt has no need of _me_ to escape the Ever After. And neither does Evie."

Zee gave her a very sad smile. "But she does. She can't bear being there alone. Perhaps she doesn't want your shape, but she wants your soul, make no mistake about that. She wants to be whole. Come with me, child. I've waited for you for so long. You are right to fear me, but trust me- you face far more danger from this volatile, barely-sane female than you do from me. And you owe Yvette nothing- she has no claim on you, and you have no need to be in her debt."

Nothing Zee said was untrue, and Hope bit her lip, trying to decide what she should do. I bit my lip as well, because if she decided to go with Zee, Newt would get to mark Rachel. I realized there was one more thing I should tell Hope. "You have another option," I said quietly. "You can reject everything. You would have died in the lines, if Newt hadn't saved you. You still have the choice of rejecting her gift. Newt promised to let you go, if that's what you want."

"No," Zee said sharply. "It's not an option. I still have a mark on her-"

"Rachel, Newt, and I agreed, Zee," I said quietly. "Together we have three marks on her. That overrides yours. If she accepts them, then she has the final choice."

Zee's eyes narrowed further with hatred as he fixed his gaze on me again. "Newt would never agree to such a bargain," he said. "Just look at her."

I did. Newt had risen and was staring at me with wide, wild eyes. "No!" she shouted, banging her staff on the stone floor with shattering force. "He's right, not after-" Her voice broke, though her staff hadn't- and she was lowering it toward me.

"You did, Newt. If she chooses you, she keeps your mark. If she chooses Zee, you release her and give her mark to Rachel." I swallowed. "And I will accept her mark if she chooses death. We all agreed. She chooses, not us." I looked pleadingly between Newt and Hope, willing them to understand. "It was all Rachel and I could do, Hope. We wanted to help you, and this was the only thing we could do for you."

Zee scoffed. "You'll have to go to court," he said. "Do you really think that the Collective will allow the death of a fertile female?" But Zee blinked and took a step back when both Newt and I glared at him.

"The Collective doesn't get a say- she's not bound by our immortality," Newt said in a very low voice. I couldn't tell which emotion made her voice shake, but her black eyes were brilliant and feverish. "No say. Not _this_ time."

"And you don't get a say in any case, you arrogant little pissant," Ash said pleasantly. "Especially since you just tried to do one of them in yourself. Don't think I haven't forgotten that."

"You trespassed and set off my security," Zee growled.

"After you goaded Evie and I into coming over. It was a really lame attempt to prevent Evie's interference."

"How was I to know that she was one of us?"

Ash laughed. "Does it matter? It won't matter to the courts. But I'm certain we can work out an amicable agreement- say, your mark on this girl in exchange for our forgiveness and silence?"

Zee growled. "Hope, you're not a fool. Listen to me. I'm speaking nothing but the truth now: I will treat you with nothing but kindness. I've planned your arrival for centuries. You, my daughter, are the only reason I still live and breathe. I fathered you, I named you, I've waited for you for so very long. I don't want the little elven whelp, I only want my beloved daughter- the first child born to us all in over five thousand years. Come with me."

Hope had been subdued with silence for minutes, and didn't reply. We were tugging her heart in different directions and the pain was clear as day on her face.

"Demons have a different definition of_ kindness _than our own," I murmured softly, reminding her that even with the truth behind his words, Zee was not to be trusted. "Don't go with him. I'm sorry I couldn't give you any better options. I had to face this choice once, too." I smiled mirthlessly at the memory. "Death or Ash."

"And you picked _him_...?" Hope asked.

I blinked. "Well, not_ then_...I put it off for a little while longer, but in the end...I've always chosen to live. And Ash..." I glanced at Ash, who stared at me expressionlessly, hiding his emotion under his poker face of blankness. "Ash has always been my demon"

Zee rolled his eyes. "This is all very touching. And melodramatic. At this point I'm not sure what case you're even making, little Yvette. You argue so eloquently for choice, and see how well you've done for yourself. You're only confusing matters for my daughter. It's all very simple, Hope. Renounce these others and come with me. Embrace your heritage. Stay with our psychotic queen, who will turn on you sooner or later. Or...I suppose I must concede that Yvette is correct- you also have the choice to reject Newt's gift and return to the lines."

"What would you do?" Hope asked me, not hiding the tears. She looked at Newt, who was staring at her hands as they shook in her lap. "Newt? What should I do?"

Newt had barely said a word during this entire conversation. The demon woman's emotions were barely contained, and her face was contorted into a grimace of pain. She began to twist her fingers about, wringing her hands, and the sound of the small bones of her own fingers snapping was a gruesome backdrop to her words. "Die," she said. "Do it now. Die before they can tear out your heart and soul, and turn you into a walking empty shell. Die before you wake up one day to see the horror that is your life, the blood and atrocities committed by your own hands grown dreary and commonplace. Die before you blacken your soul and crave peace by blackening others. We all should have died, long ago. Zee will destroy you, probably quickly. I'll destroy you by inches- maybe by accident. Evie made the wrong choice- Ash is destroying her with love. I wanted to save you but I should have let you die. You live, but you'll destroy yourself. We are destruction, all of us. That will never change. Die quickly, before we tear you apart. Die, so that I can put my mark on Evie and-"

There was a long silence, broken only by Newt's harsh breaths as she rocked herself on her seat. She didn't have to finish that sentence. If Hope listened to Newt, and chose to die, I was pretty sure that Newt would use her mark on me to kill me if she could, simply for putting her through all this. I felt horribly sick. Ash looked equally ill- he couldn't protect me from Newt, especially not if she had a mark on me. I knew the pain a demon could inflict through a mark, and worse. Newt would make me very, very sorry that I'd forced her to face this. I shivered and stepped back to feel Ash behind me, solid and warm and tense as a coiled spring.

_I'm sorry, Newt. I'm so sorry,_ I thought. I didn't dare say it out loud. It had been beyond cruel of me to do this to her, now that I knew that Rachel and I had forced her to give Hope the choice that she, despairing and trying to escape her personal hell, had been denied.

Cruel...but that didn't make it any less the right thing to do.


	92. Where Hope Abides

_I may be gone for a bit- I'm taking part in the Clarion Write-a-Thon for the next six weeks! If you like my work, consider stopping by my online journal where I'll be posting my rough drafts and thoughts and whatnot- all original fiction. See my profile for links. _**  
**

**In Which Hope Holds On, and Evie Lets Go**

Hope sat silently for a long time, staring at Newt. In the end, compassion won, and the girl did the one thing none of us would have dared to do. She may not have had the whole story- who ever did?- but she saw someone in pain and responded. Her arms went around the stricken Newt and she held the demon woman, even when Newt tried half-heartedly to push her away with her twisted, bloody fingers. "Do you really want me to die, Newt?" she asked.

Newt's face held grief, despair, hate and hope all mingled together into something ugly and broken. "He's right. You'll come to hate me. Maybe I'll kill you. I couldn't bear it, not again."

Hope looked down at Newt's head, unable to see the woman's expression. Then she glanced at me. "Did I really blow up a building with people in it, Evie? Did I kill people?"

I caught my breath at the question, but I couldn't lie to her. I nodded. "I don't know why," I said.

"Neither do I," Hope replied quietly. She thought for a moment longer, sadness and guilt on her young face, and I really thought she might give up. But Hope surprised us all. "I'll stay," she said. "It's OK, Newt. I'll stay with you. We're both _really_ screwed up," Hope continued, and Newt made a strangled little wounded noise as she stopped resisting. "But I'm living on borrowed time anyway. Where there's life, there's hope, right?"

"No! She'll kill you!" Zee shouted. "She always does, sooner or later!"

"Do you really think so?" Hope continued to hold Newt, who now clutched at Hope's arms and was making little keening sounds against her shoulder. "Maybe. And hey- I'll still come to visit you, Uncle- I mean, Father. If you want. I'm not dead yet."

Zee just stared at her, dumbfounded. For all his sweet talk, I wondered if he'd even considered fostering an honest, real relationship with his daughter. I wonder if he was considering it now, and whether that might be a good thing or a bad thing.

"But I don't want your mark on me. I don't want_ any_ marks on me. I don't want to owe anyone anything." Hope sighed. "Except I do, don't I? I'll keep Newt's, because she did save my life and I accept that." Her hand stroked Newt's knotted hair and the older woman started again before relaxing again. "Then you'll know I mean it," she said to Newt. "I mean it. I'll stay."

"No," Zee protested, confusion diluting his anger. Hope's reaction had baffled him completely.

_I honestly cannot believe what I'm seeing,_ Ash thought at me. He was staring at Newt and Hope with a wide-eyed, enthralled expression. _I thought she'd…you know…try to get away at any cost, like you did. She's insane. As crazy as Newt. _

Perhaps, of everyone in this room, I was the only one who could still understand it- someone acting out of compassion rather than self interest. I had a momentary pang when I wondered if Newt were faking her emotion, manipulating the girl. Then I remembered Newt's lost, desolate expression as she held a wounded little soul in her hand, desperate to save it but knowing it was already damaged beyond repair. I found myself blinking rapidly to hide my own emotion, both ashamed and sad that I had lost so much of my innocence that I still couldn't bring myself to trust Newt, even now. And the woman was obviously starving for trust and understanding, I could clearly see it now. She didn't even trust herself. I should have reached out to her.

But Hope hadn't yet seen the ugliness of the Ever After. All she saw was a woman in pain, and her own basic goodness came forth to offer comfort. Hope was more perceptive- and far more kind- than I'd given her credit for. Would it save her, or damn her?

"I won't give up my mark," Zee said sullenly.

"Zee, she never agreed to have your mark in the first place. What does she owe you?" I asked, after clearing the frog from my throat.

"Her life!" Zee insisted. "If not for me, she'd never have been conceived! She'd never have been born! The elves would have let her die! She owes her life to _me_, not Newt!"

Hope looked at him steadily. "I think that's different," she said. "Kids are born all the time, and I hate to say it, but they die all the time, too, thanks to Rosewood and other stuff. I'm alive because of you, OK, but I don't think that means you own my soul. Nobody does. Or if anyone does, it's the person who spent half a day putting it back together and helping me heal." She grimaced. "No, I don't owe anyone anything that needs a reminder to me permanently etched in my fucking skin, except for Newt. I want the others all to come off!"

I'd be damned if I took my mark off before Zee removed his. "I'll give Rachel a call and see if she can come over," I said. "We'll all do it together so there's no nasty misunderstandings."

"There's no hurry," Hope said. "I trust you to keep your word. Zee, whatever bargain you made with the elves? I didn't have a say in it. But if you tell me about it, I'll do what I can to help you keep it. Just…I'm not going to belong to you. OK? And if you go and hurt Beth's baby, I'll…" She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what I can do to stop you, but I'll…I'll _never speak to you again_!"

Zee blinked. On the list of threats the demon had ever received in his long lifetime, "_I'll never speak to you again_" probably didn't rank as the gravest one. I almost laughed, but then I saw that he was taking it seriously. Zee's plan had just been dashed to pieces, and he was obviously uncertain where to go from here. I could see the wheels and cogs turning. Did he have a shot at her? Probably not, but…could she be an ally? Shouldn't she stay on his side? Was patience a better option after all…? Was there still hope for escape?

"Let us buy your mark," Ash suggested to Zee quietly, coaxing. I glanced at his face. Ash wasn't looking smug, or disgusted, or any of the contemptuous looks I'd expected. His eyes were intense and his arm around me was very, very tight. "In exchange for our silence." Hope opened her mouth to protest, but Ash raised a hand. "It's all right, Evie will remove it once it's hers."

_Ash, no- Zee tried to kill us! What about all those little souls? I was going to-_

_Let it go, love. It won't stop us from plotting against him all we want. This way Zee saves face._

_But…_

_Didn't you once tell me that you weren't going to bargain or trade for souls…?_

I froze, eyes wide. I swallowed. I bit my lip. Newt hadn't moved, though she'd fixed her fingers and was looking between us, a bitter little twist on her lips. I still had the feeling that she could listen in on my head, and was doing so now…or perhaps she was just perceptive.

_But…all those children…_

_Evie. You can't save everyone from us. You know that. There is nothing you can do for them even if you rescued them, beyond send them alone into the dark. You're not strong enough for that. _

He meant I'd have to free them, which meant I'd have to kill them. Right thing to do or not, Ash was right- it'd probably destroy me. I let out a long breath of surrender, and nodded silently, confirming what Ash had said aloud as well as what he hadn't. If I traded marks for souls now, for the best of reasons, I might do it again down the line for lesser ones. I'd to drawn my line and I'd stick to it. There were always going to be those I couldn't save.

_I think you're probably right. Think Zee will go for it?_

_I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. If you'd told me I'd ever see Newt brought to tears by a child, I'd have laughed in your face. But if I had to guess, I'd say—_

"NO!" Zee also had a staff, and the crack of wood on stone made me flinch. He started forward, but when Newt raised her head and fixed him with a fiery gaze, he froze- and I was a little surprised he didn't go up in flames. "I will not be denied! Newt, what of all our work? What of your own dreams? What of the others?"

Newt narrowed her eyes and stood, a wash of ever-after energy cascading over her garments and face, returning her to the form I was most familiar with. Bald, baleful, and regal, she held her own staff as if it were a royal scepter, robes shifting around her bare feet. There was no trace of the emotion that had wracked her a moment before. "What of them?" she said, and her voice was low, clear, and absolutely deadly. "It's over. Leave, Zee. Take off your mark and leave."

"No daughter of _mine_ is going to enslave herself to _you,_ _nytaema_," he snarled.

"You're right," Newt said haughtily. "She's not. Not to me, not to you, not to _anyone_. Remove your mark, my old friend, or I'll render it harmless myself."

Zee took a step back, eyes widening. "Over a child? They won't overlook another death, Newt." He smiled nastily, eyes falling on me, then Hope. "Not when there's new blood wandering around. You're redundant now, love. They'll dispose of you."

"No they won't," Newt said, her own smile twisting. "And you know it."

"Newt!" Zee's voice was desperate now. "You know it's all ending! The Ever After is dying! We must break free of this place! She's our only chance- there's no time for another!"

"To live we must now sacrifice our own precious children…?" Newt's smile was now a grimace. "Perhaps it's time for us to die, then. And good riddance."

_Ash…? Is he right?_

_The tinfoil hats have been crying about the sky falling and the world shrinking for eons, love. Hasn't happened yet._

"But you agreed!" Zee raged helplessly. "You were behind us! You promised! You promised, you treacherous bitch!"

Newt stepped irrevocably in front of Hope, making her position clear. "Changed my mind. Take your mark off, Zee. I won't ask nicely again."

Zee, furious and betrayed, spat on the floor. "This is not over," he said, and vanished.

Hope made a small yelp of pain and clutched at her arm. The mark there was now burnt and swollen, like a fresh brand, blackening as we watched. It had become a glyph, instead of the V-with-a-slash that had been Zee's mark. Tears glistened in Hope's eyes as she gasped and fought the pain, until a grim-faced Newt placed a hand on it and tamed the fire.

"Son of a bitch," Newt muttered. "Nobody takes me seriously anymore. I'll have to do something seriously nasty to him. Worse than the liver curse. I'll come up with something." She continued to mutter as she tended to the wound. "Spiteful little shit."

Hope began to sob, perhaps realizing that she'd just had a very close call- her beloved Uncle Zee really was a creep of the first order. "What's this?" she gasped, pointing to the wound.

Newt looked at it again, hissing with irritation. "Don't worry, hon, we'll get it off."

Ash and I looked at each other, feeling distinctly like fifth and sixth wheels on this monster truck. "Um…should I still take my mark off now?" I asked.

"No, this'll have to go to court." Hope gave a sigh of relief as whatever Newt was doing seemed to kick in. She sat up and wiped her eyes as Newt looked up at me, grinning fiercely. Something about her had changed- she blazed with determined life. "Should be fun. Run along, now. We'll call you when we need you." Newt scowled at the still-smoking glyph, then snapped her fingers. "Be right back," she said, and vanished.

"You'll be all right?" I asked Hope.

Hope nodded, though she didn't look nearly as confident. "Sure. I guess." She sniffed. "Did I make the right choice, Evie?"

I looked at Ash again, then at Nebiros, who had spent the entire confrontation doing an impersonation of a potted plant on the other side of the room. "I don't know. But…dead is dead. And so far, nothing that's happened to me has been worse that being dead."

"And if _you'd_ died, where would _I_ be right now?" Hope tried to smile bravely, but it came out lopsided. "I guess I should start living up to my name. Bye, Evie."

* * *

Ash and I reappeared in his kitchen, which I thought resembled more of a mad scientist lab. All the ingredients for my line-jumping curse-work were still spread out waiting for me, and suddenly I longed to be doing something so uncomplicated and mundane.

_Heh. Twisting demon curses is mundane now, is it Evie?_ I thought, smiling.

"That was...unexpected," Ash commented, seeing lost in thought.

"You know Newt better than I do…you think she'll kill the girl?" I asked him. "Even accidentally?"

"I don't know." Whatever was on his mind, it was making his forehead crinkle. "Evie," he said suddenly. "Someday soon, Hope's going to wake up and realize that she's a monster, that she's living with monsters, and that you're the one who talked Newt into cheating Hope out of her death. She'll blame you, just like Newt blames the rest of us. I don't think either of them are going to forgive you for it."

I felt my heart twist in pain. I hated this place, hated that having such a command of magic meant that you had to face moral dilemmas that I couldn't have dreamed existed. Do you try to rescue the souls of elven children by sending them off to the afterlife, or do you leave them with someone who cares for them, perhaps loves them? Do you save the girl with the broken soul, or do you let her go into her own death? Do you let yourself show compassion- and love- to someone you know might someday destroy you?

The only answer I knew for certain was the last one. It was the choice I kept making with Ash, after all. (Trying to, anyway.)

I turned to my demon, put my hands on his shoulders. His red eyes with the goat-slitted pupils were still wide with uncertainty and concern. "I don't know what's going to happen," I said. "But she made a choice out of compassion, and hope. They're good reasons. Worthy reasons, not selfishness or fear or anger. She chose to live, like I did. To me…that makes all the difference in the world."

Ash studied me for a long time, lips tight, eyes traveling over my face before meeting my eyes and falling away. "Come with me," he said. "There's something I have to show you."

* * *

author's note:

_nytaema_ is from the Avestan word "_nitəma_" = lowest


	93. A Mark of Respect

_Someone donated to my cause (thank you, whoever you are!) So here's another chapter for you! I admit that writing original fiction is really, really hard compared to the latest Ash and Evie chapter...*blush*  
_

_Man. For all her cleverness and self-satisfaction, Evie's...kind of dense._**  
**

**In Which Another Deal is Made**

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" I asked, as Ash took my arm.

"I honestly have no idea what you'll think," he said, poofing us to his bedroom once more. "But with my luck…."

I saw what he meant immediately, staring at myself in his wardrobe mirror. The scar on my face was missing. "Wait…what happened? _Oh_." Of course. He'd reassembled me after I'd been smushed by rocks. "Well, shit. Is this going to happen every time I use a curse that reconstructs my body?"

He nodded. "It resets your physical form exactly to what you were when you set your password."

"Oh." I scowled. "Can I reset it? I mean, having you scar me again will hardly be fun after the eight zillionth time. Can I just have you do it and then reset the password?"

"Sure. You want to?"

I nodded. "It's _mine_, damnit. But I don't get why this was such a big deal, unless…_Oh_." I recalled what else we'd been up to that night. "Wait, seriously? The binding's gone?"

Ash briefly closed his eyes, almost certainly regretting his decision to tell me outright. "The venom's still there. The magic's gone. You're free again. For now," he added, in case it wasn't obvious that he'd be trying again soon.

"You're kidding."

"I bound you for all of forty eight hours. That's got to be some kind of anti-record for our kind," he said wryly.

"This is why you were all pissed off earlier, when I wouldn't turn over my soul?" I turned to regard him curiously- then I got it. "And _this_ is why you insisted on upgrading the mark," I said, rolling my eyes. "Because heaven forbid you lose ground in your quest to squash my soul under your boot, eh…?"

Ash gave me an astonished look. "What?" he squawked, half amused and half insulted. "Is that what you think?"

"Look, Ash, all I know is that in the month I've lived with you, you've done nothing else but try to lock me up tighter and tighter. And get into my pants, but honestly I don't mind that part," I added with a half smile. "This whole soul-binding shit is getting old. One thing after another. Where does it end? When I'm completely beholden to you for my life, and need your help for every single fucking breath I take?"

Ash had his poker-blank face on again, and said nothing.

"Oh, don't look like that," I said, interpreting it as him being angry at my rejection. "I'm not renouncing you. I'm not trying to get away from you, all right? I_ like _the scar, fucked up as that is. I_ like_ having mutual marks. I like being allies. I don't get why you want to keep going deeper than we're already entwined. I'm not _going anywhere_!"

"I would have lost you today," he said. "If you'd chosen _not_ to let me save you." His tone was carefully neutral. Coaxing, even.

"So?" I scowled at him. "My choice, buddy. Is that what this is about?"

Ash's jaw worked, but he didn't answer immediately. His arms slid around me possessively, one hand pressed to his mark. I grumbled, ready to struggle, but I _had _agreed to this. I remembered the painful, invasive curse Al had used to reach in and wrap his gloved fingers around my soul, branding me as his, and braced myself in anticipation.

"Why are you wincing?" he asked, sounding annoyed. "It's not going to hurt."

I cracked open an eye to see him looking at me questioningly. "Just remembering Al marking me," I said, looking away. "It was pretty awful."

Ash's body tensed at Al's name, fingers tightening on my skin. "Al was being an ass," he said. "He was trying to piss me off."

"I fail to see why that matters," I said. "I think this is pretty ass-y for you, too. And you're pissing _me_ off. So how's it different?"

"You _agreed_," he hissed.

"Under _duress_!" I protested. "Because you threatened to off yourself, too!"

Ash growled with frustration, pulling me against his hard body even more tightly. I winced again, preparing for whatever was coming. But still he did nothing else, just held me against him with a painfully tight grip. I wasn't struggling, but I thought about it. Under other circumstances, I might have been really turned on. Today I just felt impatient and annoyed. "I should not have had to resort to such a threat," he said angrily. "And _you_ should not have been _swayed_ by it," he added.

"Oh screw you," I said without heat. "You know me well enough—"

But he was already going off. "Never again. If I can't bind you with blood, I'll have my mark. You won't escape me, Evie."

I huffed with exasperation. "I wasn't trying to _escape,_ you ass! I didn't want you to body-thief someone so I could live!" I tried to kick his shin out of spite, but missed and wrenched my knee. "And who says I wouldn't let you do the blood thing again?"

Ash froze, eyes narrowed. "Don't taunt me, Yvette Therese Sinclaire," he said dangerously.

Ok, now I was genuinely baffled…as usual. I closed my eyes and tried to twist my brain into seeing it from his point of view. He had to be misinterpreting things again. He'd been sure of me, and now I'd slipped free, just a little. Or he hadn't been as sure of me as he'd thought, and he was pissed.

Or maybe not _pissed_.

"Ash…was I really that close to dying, back there?" I asked uncertainly. I hadn't thought so. I'd thought he was simply twisting things, taking advantage of the situation, so he could get a mark. "I knew you'd get us out," I added. "I didn't see the point of all the melodrama, just so you could get a mark…"

Ash's face settled back into a poker mask. "It was an effective trap," he said quietly. "Had you been standing a foot further from me, had I not been with you…had you not agreed to let me in..." He paused, drawing in a breath. "You're fragile. Untrained. And so fucking _stubborn_," he added, more quietly.

I'd _scared_ him. No wonder he'd turned around and wounded me out of spite. I'd scared the daylights out of him. I wondered if he'd ever admit it. Then I wondered if he even realized it- or if all he'd felt was the frustrated anger that followed, and the desire to rein me in even tighter.

"OK," I said. "Let's imagine that you'd already had this mark. And we walked into Zee's trap. What then…? Tell me, how would it have gone any differently?"

Ash scowled at me. "I…" he said, then paused, thinking.

"You think if you'd sucked out my soul against my will and dumped it in someone else's body, I'd be all peachy-keen with it? Really?" When he didn't answer, I pushed harder. "And you think everything would be hunky-dory in the Ashmedai-Sinclaire household, just like before?"

He blinked as he saw the intensity of my glower. "Uh," he said.

"Because you know how much I _love_ the thought of being controlled like that," I said. "But of course, my feelings on the issue don't fucking matter."

Ash digested that for a long moment, frowning, still clutching me like I was about to fall off a cliff. I'd bypassed the issue of how he felt about the incident, so he didn't have to articulate anything he didn't want to admit. But I wasn't going to be shy about my own feelings on the matter. (Though he'd missed the sarcasm completely.)

"Go ahead and do it if you have to," I said. "I said you could. But you know what I'll do to you if you _ever_ use it that way." I continued to give him a merciless glare. "And you can forget about _ever _getting your claws into me again if you betray me like that," I added.

Ash's mouth dropped at that. He snapped it shut and tried to recover his cool. "Now who's being melodramatic?" he said flippantly, but the words missed their footing and landed with a sodden thump.

I just continued to glare at him defiantly, offering him no help whatsoever.

"You and this whole 'choice' business," he said, frustration grating in his voice. He wasn't being ironic, and I almost laughed. How annoying for the big bad demon, dealing with someone he couldn't force to roll over on command. Aw.

"I think you're starting to get it, Ash," I said, relenting a little. "If you weren't, you'd wouldn't have dragged me in here for this fight. We'd be making a bloody mess of your covers instead, wouldn't we?"

Ash didn't answer, just glowered at me. I had a feeling I knew several of the thoughts he was unable to articulate. He couldn't back down without looking weak, as if my feelings actually _mattered_ to him. He'd get a mark, even he couldn't _use _it if he wanted to keep me cooperative and compliant. But the events of the day had shaken him up. I could tell simply from the strength of his grip. He'd claimed me and I'd almost escaped- almost died, and he'd been nearly powerless. Regardless of how he felt about me, there was simple pride at stake here.

BUT…and this was the biggest but…he'd _could _have reestablished the blood bond, then marked me, and perhaps I'd never have even known that there'd been a few precious moments where I'd even had a different path before me. He would have done it without hesitation last month. It was another small show of respect. I was a little proud of him, even through the irritation.

"You're testing me," he said finally, apparently putting everything into a context that made sense to him.

"I'm _what_?" I asked, both bemused and exasperated.

"Testing my resolve," he said firmly. "It remains firm as ever, love, even if you slipped the chains for a time. Very well, I won't use the mark of debt in any fashion you object to, but I _will_ have it at last." I gasped and shuddered against him as his magic delved into me, drifting around everything I was. I didn't resist, because I had agreed to it, and standing still for it reminded me of the first time he'd covered my soul with smut.

The mark itself was a little anticlimactic, taking less than a second to forge. It wasn't anything like the violation that Al's had been. But then, Al's mark had been a brand of ownership, and this was simply a mark of debt, like I'd slapped on Hope. I wasn't even sure why I'd made such a fuss over it. Probably because I _could_.

When it was finished, he lingered in me, not forcing himself deeper or hurting me in any way, just…drifting. Being close, in an oppressive, demon-y sort of way. I found I didn't mind all that much. "There," he said, his voice low and rough. "It's done."

I held myself against him, my anger having dissolved into a quiet understanding that wasn't any easier to articulate. I tried to imagine growing up at war, knowing you were the last born of your kind. Tried to imagine what it would be like to live for ages beyond your time and to lose those around you, never gaining new friends or loves to compensate. This wasn't about controlling _me_, this was about trying to control fate. "Ash, you know it's only an illusion. You can't protect someone from _everything_."

_I know._

His magic seeped from my veins in a gentle caress, with a quality of melancholy to it that shocked me almost into tears myself. I opened my eyes to see that his were still closed, his face betraying nothing. I only knew he was in pain because of the trembling tension of his arms. I sighed and relented, slipping my arms around his and leaning back into him, and he rested his chin on my head. His true feelings for me were, as always, a mystery. Affection, desire for dominance, loneliness, even petty vengeance- any of these could explain his reaction. But without words Ash had just told me that he'd suffered loss before, and would risk anything not to suffer through it again.

And yet, I thought suddenly, he hadn't offered to curse me with the demons' immortality, for all his talk of forever. I was afraid to ask why, for fear he'd do it- I didn't particularly _want_ it.

"Make you a deal," I said, before the moment of peaceful intimacy was ruined by him opening his big mouth. He looked up, quirking an eyebrow with interest. "I'd rather have the scar and the…" It still felt odd to say it, even if I'd had a whole day to get used to the idea. "…the, uh, mate bond thing than a stupid mark. If we do that again—"

"When," Ash corrected, a glitter in his eye. I tried to turn my treacherous lips into another scowl at his arrogant assumption.

"_If_ we do that again," I said firmly, "I'll trade in the mark for a reset."

"A reset?"

"I'll reset my password so it's permanent, afterward," I said. "So it sticks, the next time you have to reassemble me after I fuck up curse or have a mountain dropped on my head. Would that pay back this debt to your satisfaction?" It would be different, going into it with eyes open. I didn't have to make that commitment right away, anyway- he'd said it would take him a few days to recharge his venom supply, and the last thing I needed was to be out of commission for hours if Ellasbeth decided to make good on her threat, or Adrian decided to summon me unexpectedly.

Ash didn't even have to consider it, he simply grunted. "Deal," he growled, burying his nose in my hair. He'd sprung claws again, and his lovely sharp fangs were showing. I felt a stab of nervous anticipation, remembering the terrifying intensity of that encounter. Despite having the perfect, blemish free skin of the newly-cursed, every single wound he'd ever left on me began to grow warm and tingle promisingly. I shivered and began to wriggle experimentally out of his grip. He wasn't having that, pinning me there against him firmly.

"_Tsk!_ Not now! I want to get this Hope business finished first," I said, continuing to wriggle for the sake of tormenting him. "Nothing really got resolved except that Zee's out for blood and Hope's staying with Newt- neither of which is good news for Ellasbeth."

"Screw Ellasbeth," Ash said, not distracted in the least by anything _I_ had to say.

"And I have a week's worth of curses to brew," I said, pretending I wasn't distracted at all.

"Screw the curses," he growled, nipping my earlobe.

"And what about you? I seem to recall that you had to recharge or something. The venom, I mean. Isn't that what you said?"

"Screw _me_," he purred, effectively ending the conversation by putting his new mark through its blissful paces and proving he didn't need venom to reduce me to begging for more.

Well, hell…with an invitation like that, how could I refuse?


	94. Familiar Trouble

_Been working hard on my writing, but it's slow going and I have to admit that my short stories are pretty awful...*sigh* I've let myself have a few days back with Ash and Evie, to get me back into a better mood. I've enjoyed the little break from this story, and I've got a whole new set of ideas on where it's going next. Expect the next part up within a few days!_**  
**

**In Which Evie Discovers A Nasty Little Side Plot**

But the Hope business was not to be resolved that day, or the next. Not a peep from Zee, Newt, Hope, Rachel, the Coven, or the elves. Ash did try giving Zee a ring, but the request went unanswered. I gave Rachel a ring, but that also went unanswered. I had no way to get in touch with the Coven or the elves, an oversight I hadn't even considered at the time, but Ash wasn't interested in making a special trip to try to contact Adrian, and neither of us cared enough to want to talk to Ellasbeth.

There being only so much sex one could have, Ash had been reduced to actually trying to teach me something. If it hadn't been for Ku'Sox trying to kill us, I'd have felt like nobody else loved us anymore.

Well, to be fair, it was _Ash_ that he was after. I wasn't even there. Ash had vanished to answer a summons, and it only _felt_ like someone was trying to kill me, when Ash put his familiar bond to use. I'd been doing a simple set of ley-line channeling exercises, creating a little globe of light, when the wold suddenly went white.

Ash drawing a line through me had never, ever been painful, not like this- except that once. I was thrown back to that terrible night in the woods, channeling more than I could spindle, and I toppled helplessly from my seat onto the stone floor in a both real and remembered agony. Dimly I heard my own voice, as my soul clutched at itself in panic. The enormity of his betrayal cut deepest of all- that he would do this to me, use me as a familiar, after all we'd shared...? I curled around myself miserably, as even Therese reeled about in confusion, too heartsick to even begin to retaliate.

But the agony was only partially mine, and curses were suddenly firing off in my head. A steady litany of Latin, bathed in blackness, terror, and grim determination- Ash, fighting for his life. My jaw would have dropped at the curses he was calling on, had it not been clenched in pain. Curses to maim, to cripple, to age, to twist and deceive...it was an astonishing variety of strategies. And the counter-curses, fired off so rapidly, yet all spoken with perfect clarity and powered with enough energy to border on cosmic. It was terrifying, and through the pain, it was exhilarating.

Ash had no room left in his concentration to provide me an explanation, beyond a wordless plea for help- and more power. Once I understood that he was in danger, I did my best to accommodate his needs. There were only two demons I knew of who could command this kind of raw power: Newt, or Ku'Sox. In either case, Ash would be screwed unless he could draw on the power of his female. Once Therese understood that her male- HER male- was in danger, well...

OK, I'm still not sure how I got there. Or why I thought a poker was a good weapon to use against a demon. It was simply the closest thing to hand when I forced myself to my feet. But I tell you what, bashing a demon on the head while he's in the middle of a powerful curse can have some interesting consequences. One of which is that he might accidentally bite his own tongue hard enough as to be temporarily mute, and the other of which is that the misdirected energies he was using go lashing around the room instead of being under his control, setting lots of things on fire. Including the silver-haired intruder, and the dark-haired human behind him. And me.

I hadn't even raised the poker for a second blow before the human tackled me. I knew he was human from the stink of his fear, and I recognized the scent, though I couldn't place it. I didn't care. Rather, Therese didn't care, nor did she care that her clothing was burning and her skin was searing. She grappled with the human, picked a curse at random from the buffet of death and destruction that Ash had left burned into our head, and spat it at him. Power flowed through her effortlessly as the curse did its work, leaving the human screaming in agony as his blood began to heat, echoing the flames around us.

Ash drew another heavy blast of ley line energy from me, shaping it into a gout of evil blackness that he hurled at the stunned Ku'Sox. The silver-haired demon vanished, leaving the room a blazing inferno.

Gasping, Ash put forth one last great effort and stifled the flames with a blast of arctic air and magic, then countered the curse on the human before it reached completion. It probably wasn't out of kindness. The human was valuable, after all, and also I was lying on top of him, holding him down even as the heat from his skin had begun to grow unbearable. The human whimpered, sweating and shaking with pain. He stared at me in bewildered terror, and I stared back, feeling a growing sick horror.

Nick. This was the human who'd escaped from Ash.

And I would have killed him. Cruelly. Cooked him inside out.

Shivering just as violently, I slid off of him, unable to look away. I knew Ash was lying across the room, spent, possibly in an equal amount of shock. It had all happened so quickly- probably twenty seconds from when Ash had drawn on me to his putting out the fire. I felt my brain begin to catalog the damage to our surroundings and to ourselves. Ash had already healed himself, but he didn't seem inclined to move yet. I disregarded my own injuries, knowing he'd get to me sooner or later, and the burns didn't hurt. Yet.

The room was a total loss. It was a standard loft apartment, with what had once been furniture, wooden screen partitions, some rather nice electronic equipment (now melted and charred), and a raised summoning circle, where Ash was still lying, recovering his breath. My brain began to dispassionately put pieces in place. Simple strategy, really. Summon Ash. Ambush him. Kill him. Ku'Sox and Nick. Partners.

God, I could hardly blame Nick, after the hell Ash had put him through. And would again, now that the plan had failed. I tried to speak, but it was just a wordless croak that turned into a cough. The room was full of reeking smoke and the awful mingled stench of melted plastic and burnt amber, curling from the walls and the floor. Nick began coughing too, pushing feebly back away from me, still staring at me in complete confusion. "Why?" he managed finally, spitting out a wad of gook from his lungs.

Why help Ash...? Shit. "Long story," I replied, my voice thin and painful. I had no clue how to justify saving Ash from a vengeful familiar. Hadn't I dreamed for thirty years of doing the same thing? Didn't he deserve it?

On the other hand, Therese growled, he wasn't Nick's to kill, he was mine, dammit! I'd be damned if I'd let anyone kill Ash before I did. And I needed him alive and kicking, no matter how much of an ass he was.

"You're his familiar?" he asked, letting his head fall back onto the stinking, half-melted rug- in defeat, I thought. But Nick mumbled something under his breath, and I saw him pull a pin from a ley line charm. I had just enough time to draw breath for a protest or a warning before the world went black.

_What the hell...?_

I groggily opened my eyes, confused and aching. It was still dark, but I could hear labored breathing beside me. Nick. I could smell him, and could smell also that he was starting to run a fever, thanks to his injuries. As soon as I moved, I remembered that I, too, was wounded- badly burnt in several different places. "What?" I managed.

"Church," he said. "Holy ground."

Oh, peachy. Nicky had a demon-proof hidey-hole. Perfect. He'd had it all planned out, hadn't he? Summon Ash, kill him, or poof himself away if it went south. Only he'd taken me with him.

"Why take me?" I asked.

"Familiar-" Nick coughed, and I heard him trying to sit up. "You've got his aura. Ku'Sox can use that."

"To do what?" I asked sharply, but it was obvious. "Oh. _You_ freed him," I said. "To kill Ash?"

"To kill Ash, Al, Devi, and any other fucking demon we can lure out here," Nick said harshly. "I'd think you'd appreciate it, being his familiar and all. Once he's dead, you'll be free."

I sighed. If only it were that easy... "That was Ku'Sox, then? He's coming here?" I blinked, as my eyes began to adjust to blackness and I could make out the shapes of pews in the dark. "He can walk on holy ground?" I asked.

"Holy ground only blocks those who are tied to the Ever After," Nick said hoarsely. He really didn't sound good. "And those without souls. He's a fucked up psycho sonofabitch, but he's my ticket to freedom. After he wipes them out, their marks are worthless. I'll finally be rid of them. You have a mark, too," he added.

I wasn't certain, but I didn't think Nick really knew who I was. If he were working with Pierce, Pierce would have told him about me...wouldn't he? Perhaps not. But I wasn't in the best of shape to fight, and if Nick knew I was a demon too, I was certain he wouldn't be nearly as talkative.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry Ash caught you. I was glad you got away. How'd you escape?"

Nick laughed. "Every demon gets careless," he said. "I had a few stored curses in me from Devi. It was just a matter of biding my time until I got the opportunity to use them. You owe me, by the way- I used one of them to get you out of there."

"Uh...thanks," I said, trying to ignore the growing burning pains in my arms, legs, and face, where my extremities had been cooked by the unexpected inferno. "You didn't have to."

"You have his aura. He'll track you and then Ku'Sox will finish his ass off." Nick stopped trying to move. "Al's next." He gave another series of raspy coughs that made my own chest ache with empathy.

"Why is Ku'Sox helping you?" I asked finally.

"It was a condition of freeing him. Didn't take much convincing. He hates the sons of bitches who locked him up even more than I hate them."

_And when he's done? What happens to him then?_ I wanted to ask, but didn't. I got the impression that either Nick hadn't thought that far ahead, or he didn't care. "Where are we?" I asked. "You know, we should probably get ourselves to a hospital or something. I know the curse that hit you and it's really nasty. And I've got some really bad burns, too."

"No," Nick rasped. "He'll be back. I'll command him to heal us."

Ice froze my heart. If Ku'Sox learned about me...well, who knew what he'd do? I was no longer bound to Ash by blood, but he'd certainly detect the familiar bond, and he only had to smell me to figure out what I was. Perhaps I could use it to my advantage, but I doubted it. Ku'Sox was both powerful and extremely well-trained. I wouldn't stand a chance against him, any more than I'd last more than three seconds against Newt. Hell, I'd just watched him nearly fry _Ash_.

"He's a demon, too," I said finally, letting my terror show. "You can't trust him or control him. Please let me get out of here."

"Need you," Nick said. "And I _can _control him. They're all bound by the same rules-"

I blinked. "What? You moron, no they're not! They're all bound by their fear of Newt, and Ku'Sox _doesn't fear her_!" Nick was a fool. Ku'Sox was just using him...in fact, now that he was free, did he really need to summon demons to reality to kill them? Why would he? Why not just go to the Ever After and attack them directly? It was all confusing, and the pain of my wounds was beginning to impair my thinking. "He's not coming back. Why would he bother?"

"He's still cursed. Has to do what I say until Al, Ash, and Devi are dead, or I pass on his curse."

"Then why's he been rampaging through St. Louis the past day and a half, if he has to listen to you?"

Nick's voice was strained with anger and pain. "Part of the deal. He needs to...eat."

"...needs...to eat? To eat _what_?" I demanded, remembering what Rachel had told me, about the fallen arch and the dead kids, and the destruction in St. Louis that had followed.

"Souls," he admitted.

I was quiet for a long time, gut churning with revulsion. "You know, Nick, I was mostly on your side until you said that. Now I'm not sure who's worse, you or them." I forced myself to sit up, panting with effort as my burns grew blindingly painful.

"Won't let you leave," he said, and I realized he'd taken the precaution of handcuffing my ankle to a pew while I was down.

"What the fuck?" I growled, suddenly furious. I tried to tap a ley line, but the little shit had fixed me with a zip strip, too. I used the trick I'd learned from Pierce to burn straight through it, welcoming the pain as the local line filled my soul and make it sing. I sent Ash a summons, but of course he couldn't answer. Demons couldn't be summoned onto holy ground!

But my scowl turned slowly into an evil grin as I remembered that there were a few demons who _could_. And one of them was _very_ eager to meet up with Nick again.

_Jariathjackjunisjumoke, _I shouted in my skull, sending the magical summons across reality to find Rachel. _I summon you._


	95. Rachel and the Rat

_I just realized I have never written Ivy before. Someone contacted me about writing Ivy in a Ravy fic and I demurred, mostly because I have a hard time with Ivy. But now that I've read Blood Work I think I have a better handle on her. She's not going to play much of a role in this story, though, nor are Nick, Jenks, or Ku'Sox. These latest few chapters are mostly bringing my canon up to date and setting up my grand finale. Speaking of which...__I've been listening to a lot of angsty music lately (Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation...). *evil grin* It's not going to be easy, or pretty. (But don't worry, I'm also a sucker for happy endings.)_**  
**

**In Which Battle Lines are Drawn  
**

Nick could sense that something had shifted, or perhaps he could tell that I'd tapped a line. "What are you doing?" he demanded, then grunted as I grabbed him by the arm and began fishing in his pocket for the key. I was strong, but I had about as much chance of snapping that sturdy pew to free my ankle as I had of lifting a dump truck. But he was surprisingly strong too, even in his injured state, and he socked me upside the ear with a blow that knocked me senseless for a good five seconds and brought tears to my eyes.

"Give me the key!" I shouted, irritated at the quaver in my voice. I considered the various charms and curses I knew, but none would shatter metal or wood without doing a fine job of shattering my ankle in the process. _ Son of a bitch! _"Let me go!"

"I told you, I need you to track Ashmedai. Don't you want him dead as much as I do?"

"Strangely..." I replied, rubbing my ear. Where was Rachel? "_He's _not the one holding me hostage and dangling me out as demon bait. You really think your buddy Ku'Sox is going to use me to track him and then happily let me go when he's dead? Nick, he eats souls. What do you think he's going to do to me? Give me the fucking key!"

The air shifted and the stink of burnt amber billowed through the church. We both drew in a sharp breath in fearful anticipation as a dark shape coalesced before us- and promptly stumbled into a pew with a very feminine cry of surprise. "OW! What the hell? Who's there? Al, if this is your idea of a joke-"

"It's me!" I cried in relief, and put my earlier lesson to use by creating a globe of light. Rachel's features stood out in sharp relief and she put a hand to her eyes, squinting. "And I have a surprise for you," I added, nodding at the human behind me who had frozen in shock.

"What...wait...Rachel?" he asked.

"No. Fucking. WAY!" she cried, eyes widening with recognition. "It's crap-for-brains! I cannot believe you had the balls to summon me again, you little shitweasel! After what you did?"

"I didn't!" he protested, looking pasty and green in the admittedly ghastly light I was making.

"I did," I said. "I figured you wouldn't want to miss this. I hope you weren't in the middle of something important..."

"A conversation with Ivy and Jenks that was about to head seriously south," she said, wincing. But she was already moving, and had both zipped Nick with one of his own strips, and trussed him up with his own jacket before he'd managed to get out more than two words and a groan. Triumphantly she pulled out her phone and hit a button. "They are going to _love_ this."

We must have been somewhere in Cincinnati, or else she and her partners were hunting Ku'Sox in whatever city we had landed in, because after she'd taken a quick trip out of the church to ascertain our location, she said they were on their way. She was grinning like Solstice had come early as she came back in and flipped on the lights, revealing a huge, lovely building with beautiful, ornate ornamentation and the dust cloths and temporary structures that spoke of renovation happening. Though from the amount of dust, it appeared that the renovation had either been happening for awhile, or had been abandoned halfway through. It looked like it was dusk outside- or perhaps dawn?- but it was hard to tell because all the windows had been boarded up. "Good lord, what happened to you both? Did you just crawl out of a Hellmouth or something? Should I call an ambulance?"

"Ku'Sox happened," I said. "Nick says he's going to come back any minute. I don't know about you, but I want to be across the continent when he does." I suddenly wondered why Ash hadn't contacted me. Maybe he hadn't yet gotten up the strength to zap home and get his mirror? Or maybe he couldn't reach me on holy ground? I knew he'd be working on summoning me back, if he could, and would probably be in a fine snit when he realized I wasn't coming.

"Ku'Sox. So _you're _the idiot who let him out." Rachel's face took on a weary, bitter-lemon look. "Why the fuck am I not surprised, Nick?" She looked around, seeking something or someone, and took a deep sniff of our surroundings. Whatever she decided seemed to relax her a little.

The hapless Nick, whom Rachel had gleefully silenced with a wad of dusty cloth from the stack hear the wall, worked the gag free of his mouth and spat it out. "It's not what you think! I'm trying to help you! Save you! From Al! Please let me explain-"

But Rachel wasn't about to give him a chance, not this time. The battle of words, accusations, and bitter recriminations that followed nearly singed my ears. I had to admit, the human was good. I nearly believed him, especially when he nearly broke into tears. But I'd been living with the world's greatest liar for well over a month, now. All I had to do was remember that Nick had released Ku'Sox and let him feed on the inhabitants of St. Louis, and everything else about his story rang hollow. Saving someone you loved wasn't worth the death of hundreds of innocents. This was about Nick getting rid of his marks, and avenging himself on demonkind, nothing more.

I stayed out of it, managing to find the key I needed in Nick's back pocket. I freed my ankle, and debated a moment before handing the cuffs to Rachel, in case she'd like to use them on her ex. Nick was struggling desperately now, despite the injuries that were making him sweat.

"You have to let me go," he pleaded, tossing wet dark hair out of his face. "And you have to run, too. If Ku'Sox finds you here, he'll...Rachel, he's really crazy. He'll kill you, or dissect you, or eat you, too. I never wanted that to happen."

"Well, Nick, who did you think the Coven would send to stop a demon?" Rachel said viciously. "Do you think any of _them_ could beat him?"

"We don't need to beat him," I said. "We just need to convince the creep here to put him back in the ground."

"What?" Nick stared at me in horror. "I can't do that! How would I do that? And why would I want to?" He flinched under our combined glares. "OK, OK, but I still can't do it. I don't know how."

"You said he's under your command! Order him back in!" I suggested.

"If it didn't work, he'd kill me!"

"Oh, Nick," Rachel growled, disgusted. "You know I want to stick your balls in a jar, but I'm not going to let a demon kill you."

Nick actually looked taken aback at her words, but Rachel didn't see it- a motorcycle engine roared outside and a moment later, a tall, stunning vampire strode into the church.

I'd never met Rachel's partner, but I knew at once that this woman had to be Ivy. She was sleek, beautiful, and her anticipatory grin was wide enough to show the delicate tips of her fangs. Her pupils were already black as her gaze roved right over me and focused on the trussed up human behind me. "Has the Solstice come early this year?" she asked, her grey-silk voice both amused and hungry. "Or perhaps Thanksgiving? I see you've picked up the turkey already. All trussed up and ready for the spit."

Nick just glowered at her, as Rachel snickered. "Jenks?" she asked.

"On his way." The living vampire's gaze fell on me, and I shivered. I'd met a handful of vampires, and none had ever pulled an aura on me. I knew it was intended for Nick, but the pheromones Ivy was pumping out were just as effective on me, apparently. I tried to remind myself that it was a false sensation (and that anyway, I was _straight_, dammit) but the pressure was difficult to ignore. "And you are...?"

"That's Evie," Rachel said.

I wasn't sure what Rachel had told Ivy about me, but clearly Ivy wasn't sure what to make of me. The pressure of her aura amped up even more as she stepped forward to examine me, and I was suddenly aware of everything about her. The bared midriff. The ass-kicking leather boots. The sultry way her hair caressed her face. Her intoxicating spicy incense scent, and the way it seemed to caress me all over with a warm, damp, heated breath. I couldn't move, riveted to her fathomless black eyes, and my body began to tingle and ache. "Pleasure to meet you," Ivy murmured, and my eyes couldn't help but focus on the flashes of those little hidden canines.

I stammered something in return, trying like hell to pull myself together. I felt sweat on my neck and embarrassment coloring my cheeks. I literally could not put two words together in my head, let alone get my tongue to say them.

My reaction seemed to satisfy Ivy, and she turned away. The sensual pressure vanished with the suddenness of a splash of icewater, and I let out a shivering breath as my knees suddenly became rubbery. Holy _cow_. And Ivy wasn't even an undead! As to why she'd felt the need to test her strength on me like that...?

Rachel had noticed too, though she chose not to say anything. She'd been about to call the human authorities, but had then thought better of it- if Ku'Sox was indeed coming back, the last thing we needed was an audience of innocent bystanders, let alone armed cops. Instead she turned to Ivy and quickly summed up the situation. To her credit, Ivy didn't look terrified at the thought of facing down a day-walking demon who ate the souls of the incredibly unlucky. I guess this was just another day in the life, if you lived with Rachel Morgan.

I, on the other hand, was properly terrified. Not to mention I had my own problems to take care of. Hope, Zee, Ellasbeth...that whole mess still hovered unresolved, and could prove to be just as much of a huge issue to the future of the demon population as one of their own running around terrorizing the countryside in reality. I'd be in the way. It wasn't even my fight.

But it wasn't theirs, either. Oh, _hell_. What was I supposed to do?


	96. The Rat's Revenge

_Trigger warning: character death!_**  
**

**In Which a Fatal Mistake is Made  
**

"Go. Seriously, Evie," Rachel said sternly, as I hovered uncertainly wringing my hands. "Get to safety. Ku'Sox knows I'm a demoness. I have a slim chance of beating him because he thinks I'm a novelty. If he finds out about you, he won't hesitate to take me down."

"Besides, you'll be in the way," Jenks said, unafraid to voice what Rachel was too tactful to mention. "You're not firing on all cylinders and we can't protect you if you pass out." Ivy said nothing, but her narrowed eyes said all that was needed- she agreed with Jenks's assessment. Hell, I couldn't even stand up to _her_ influence, how was I going to stand up to Ku'Sox?

Ouch.

It was humiliating, but I had to admit that they were right, I wasn't a fighter, and I was useless to them. I glanced around one more time, trying to think of anything I could do that might help them in the upcoming battle. I asked as much, and was admonished again, even less tactfully, to leave it to the professionals and get the hell out.

I sighed, bowing to the inevitable. Perhaps after I was trained, I might not be such a useless lump. I made my way to the front of the sanctuary, and felt a sudden chill when I saw Nick watching me narrowly. He'd heard, hadn't he? He'd figured it out, from what Rachel had said- now he knew I was a demoness, too. It wasn't a huge secret, not to those in the Ever After or the Coven, but a conniving little weasel like Nick would find_ someone _out there to sell it to, to screw me over. Someone like Ku'Sox. And his cold eyes also informed me that I'd just made it to second place on his shitlist, right under Rachel.

Why did I find that threatening? He was only a human.

Sure. A human with six demon marks who'd managed to outwit and escape three professional familiar-hunter demons, and had the most powerful entity this side of the lines under his command. _Shit._ Maybe I should take advantage of his current helplessness and just kill him now? But no, that wasn't my way. Ash's words came back to me. I wasn't a killer- not like that, anyway, not in cold blood.

I shuddered and tried to wash my hands of the entire mess. I'd walked into someone else's drama and had to escape. Ignoring the continued argument between Nick and Rachel behind me, I slammed open the door of the sanctuary, letting the red light of the approaching dawn stream in-

-and there he was, the silver-haired bastard himself. In fact, I'd just slammed the door open right into his face, sending him stumbling back a step.

"Sorry!" I said automatically as he righted himself and glared at me. Then I slammed the door in his face with a shriek and tore back into the huge room. "_He's here!_"

"Run!" Rachel ordered, as the doors splintered behind me. She didn't have to tell me twice, and there were plenty of other exits out of here. I headed for the nearest one as shrieks and curses erupted at my back.

Something hit me, shoved me against the wooden frame of the door hard enough that I bounced off, stumbled back, and crumpled onto a pew in a daze. Pain tore through me- the curse was burning through my clothing into my skin. I reached for a counter-curse, and found one Ash had used not twenty minutes before. I gritted my teeth and spoke the unfamiliar Latin, and the pain eased as the dripping black goo vanished.

A sneeze ripped through me almost at the same time- Ash trying to reach me, or summon me? All I had do to was gather my limbs and make it off of holy ground. Five feet at the most, assuming holy ground ended at the doorway. Black goo still dripped off of the glass door, frame and wall in an Evie-shaped outline, the remnants of Ku'Sox's curse eagerly dissolving the wood, glass, and drywall as if they were made of marshmallows. Five feet.

Fighting my dizziness, I managed to slide off the pew. I heard shouts and crashes behind me, smelled ashes and burnt amber. The air was rapidly filling with plaster dust and smoke. My limbs seemed heavy and I had a hard time coordinating them- did I have a concussion? My back screamed with agony-the curse-wrought damage hadn't vanished with my counter-curse, and the pain mingled with the burns that had ravaged my limbs. Five feet, and Ash would bring me home and heal me up. Four feet, now. I reached the wall, the side that hadn't been splattered with black curse-goo. Three feet.

"Rachel!"

Ivy's scream was full of despair, and I used my remaining strength to push myself up the wall before me so I could see. It was difficult, through the fog of smoke and dust, but I picked out the various shapes before me. Ivy was down with an injured leg, and I couldn't see Jenks anywhere. Ku'Sox had Rachel pinned down against an upturned pew, and Nick stood beside him, free of his bonds. Rachel kicked and cursed, Ku'Sox laughed, and Nick was chanting something. Energies flared between she and Ku'Sox, as he continued laughing and she shrieked incoherently with outrage.

I gathered a handful of inelegant ever-after energy and hurled it at Nick and Ku'Sox, but my aim was terrible. It knocked into a pew several feet away and blasted a chunk free, but that was it. Before I could gather another blast, Rachel shrieked, "Nick, you idiot! No!"

Nick shouted, "It's done! I banish you!"

"Nick, you bastard, I swear I'm going to-" Rachel vanished in a bright flash of light. Ivy and Jenks both cried out with dismay. Jenks flew to Ivy's side, and began pleading with her to get up, to run. Ivy was staring at where Rachel had been in abject horror, though she did begin to pull herself to her feet, face twisted in pain.

Ku'Sox straightened up, stretching or simply extending hands to the sky in exultation, taking a deep, savoring breath of the stinking air as if it were pure freedom. He flexed his hands, took a deep breath, and gave a loud, defiant bellow of triumph. The entire scene seemed to warp as he sucked in enough power to level the city, as if he were bending space and time to his bidding. When he opened his eyes, they nearly glowed with power.

_Ooooh, shit. _ Ivy's eyes found mine, and she mouthed "run!" at me. I mouthed "go!" in return. We both knew a hopeless cause when we saw one. And Ivy and Jenks knew I'd be summoned as soon as I got off holy ground. I just wanted to be certain she and Jenks would reach the exit safely- not that there was squat I could do except distract Ku'Sox if he went after them.

"There, it's transferred. It's done," Nick said, breathing heavily with the effort the curse had cost him. His voice was disturbingly loud in the silence of the sanctuary, and did a fine job of distracting Ku'Sox on its own. "Now give me what you promised."

Ku'Sox looked at Nick in surprise, as if he'd forgotten the human was still there. If he remembered the others, or heard Ivy limping quietly to the exit, he didn't show it. He chuckled and gave Nick an indulgent smile. "You did well, worm. What did I promise, again?"

"Take off the marks!" Nick said, still panting. His eye were wide and wild, his face scrunched up in an expression of pain and horror at what he'd done to Rachel, and anticipation of what he'd receive. "All of them. You said you could destroy the marks!"

"Oh. Right. Easy enough." Ku'Sox reached out and grabbed Nick by the neck, and the human yelped in surprise. The demon pulled him close, as if to give him a kiss- then Nick screamed as the demon bit him in the neck, savaging the skin. Nick's scream cut off abruptly as Ku'Sox pulled away, tearing out a huge, mortal gash. Nick's lifeblood gushed and sprayed over the demon's face and body, dripping from his chin as the demon smiled serenely.

Ivy and Jenks paused at the doorway of the sanctuary, stunned, as Nick, now voiceless, reached out to them for help. Then Ivy and Jenks turned their backs on Nick and vanished. A moment later I heard the roar of Ivy's motorcycle as they made their escape.

Ku'Sox didn't notice, intent on the struggling man in his arms. "Don't think I'm not grateful," he said, still smiling his deranged, serene smile. With a sickening crunch, he plowed a hand into Nick's ribcage and pulled the human's still-beating heart free. It glowed oddly, a blue flickering light surrounding it. It was his soul, I realized, still cleaving to that last living bit of flesh even as Ku'Sox let his lifeless body toppled to the floor of the sanctuary. "But demon marks," he continued reasonably, as if explaining to a particularly slow student, "are attached to the soul. So to destroy them, I have to destroy your soul. No hard feelings?"

I knew what was about to happen. Sick to the core of my own soul, I pushed my uncooperative body along the wall to the sagging glass door. The curse eating the glass had faded away by now, and I gave the door a desperate push. It crumbled into dusty shards. I fell right into them, landing halfway through the doorway and feeling a thousand cuts open on my hands and lower legs. I looked back just in time to see the silver-haired demon place his lips to the dripping heart and inhale the flickering blue light.

Shivering, I dragged myself through the doorway and out of the glass, managing to roll so I was out of line of sight of the bloody, ruined sanctuary. I sent a desperate mental plea to Ash. Could he hear me? Was I still on holy ground? Behind me, I heard the sodden thump of a well-squeezed human heart slapping the floor, and the slurp-slurp-slurp of Ku'Sox sucking his fingers like a gourmet finishing a delicious meal. "A shame you couldn't tell me Rachel's summoning name," he said to Nick's corpse. "I'd love to be the only one with the power to bring her back to reality now. I'll have to track down her partners next. But first..."

I heard footsteps. _Oh God._ The image of Ku'Sox inhaling Nick's soul was burned onto my retinas, and I forced myself to my feet again, using the wall for support. This hall paralleled the sanctuary, but there was a passage across from me that lead away from it. _Get off holy ground_. I moved further from the altar, further from the sanctuary, pushing myself down the longer hall. A trail of blood from my shredded knees and hands smeared the wall and pooled on the floor behind me, and it was only my terror of having my own soul devoured that kept me moving.

The footsteps drew closer, and my heart pounded so hard that I felt certain the entire city could hear it. I forced myself further down the hall, one step at a time. _Get off holy ground_.

_Ash! Summon me, damn you!_

"_Fe fi fo fum,_ I smell the blood of...hmmm, now, what have we here...?"

The shadow of Ku'Sox loomed in the doorway, not fifteen feet away, followed by his bloody, grinning face. I made it back one more step, reaching the end of the hallway and falling into the crosswise passage beyond, panting with terror.

_ASH!_

The last image I had was Ku'Sox raising his arm, hand glowing with another curse— and then Ash's summons enveloped me. My body dissolved into energy, stealing me away from that place of horror and death.


	97. Until the Sunset

_OK! Back from vacation. I've been trying to figure out how to wrap up this story and start a new one (same characters!). __ Thank you, Deus3xMachina, for your suggestion- it was the perfect solution to a plot point I'd been trying and failing to implement for awhile now. It's about to take a turn for the angsty, and I hope that you'll stick with it for the grand resolution. _

**In Which Rachel and Al Come to the Rescue. Sort of.  
**

"Evie, what the hell happened?" Rachel's voice, unexpectedly. I forced my eyes open and tried to lift my head from where I lay bleeding all over the stones. But the adrenaline was spent. I was happy not to be moving at the moment. Besides, if Rachel was here, had been the one to summon me, then I'd be all right.

But the room smelled familiar. WAY too familiar. And not Rachel's comfy kitchen in reality familiar. Hadn't I lain on these stones with an aching head before? Crud, I was in Al's lab.

"She's not much of a fighter, is she?" Al's voice, very amused. "Lasted longer than you did, though."

"Shut up!" I heard a crash, and a bemused _tsk_ from Al. "Fucking little rat _banished_ me! I can't fucking _believe_ it!"

I just groaned, putting my head back on my arm. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Rachel." I paused, stomach churning. "It _was_ you, wasn't it?" I asked, dreading the thought of owing Al a favor.

"Yeah, sure." Rachel still sounded very peeved. "Ivy. Jenks. They all right?" She crouched beside me and began to turn me over, stopping when I hissed with pain. "_Shit_," she added with an empathetic grimace, seeing the glass still embedded in my palms.

"They got out quick after you...left. Nick-" I stopped, my brain giving me far too accurate an instant replay of the human's death. "Ku'Sox got him. He's dead."

Rachel was silent, though she resumed helping me sit up. She sighed, and I remembered that even though he'd turned out to be a treacherous little rat, she _had_ loved the human once.

Al, too, gave a sigh, though his was artificial and rather wistful. "Too quick," he said. "Too easy. Such a shame."

"It wasn't easy," I said, voice choked. "He ate-"

"_Don't,_" Rachel said. She took another moment, then forced herself to move on. "So not only is Ku'Sox unbound from the curse that could imprison him, he's off his leash and out of control. And I'm _stuck _here. Al, for the love of Pete, would you heal her before she bleeds to death? I need her to summon me back across again."

"Itchy witch, it's nearly dawn. I won't have you running about reality with Ku'Sox on the loose, if I cannot accompany you. If you're going to get your ass handed to you again, I at least want to bring popcorn."

As Rachel protested, I took a moment to try to contact Ash. Why hadn't he summoned me? There was no response. Shit. Was he all right? Was he still in reality, still lying stunned in Nick's apartment? Well, demons were pretty easy to rescue, as long as they weren't sitting on holy ground. Sunrise would kick him back to the Ever After anyway. _Kaviashemedaeva, I summon you._

Nothing happened. For several long moments.

"Um, Al...?" I interrupted the impending argument, having managed to sit up with Rachel's help. I wasn't feeling good at all, now that I'd seen up close how shattered glass turns flesh into hamburger. Apparently Hollywood tended to lie about the effects of crashing through a plate glass window. The bleeding had mostly ceased, and I feared what would happen if I tried to remove all the little shards still stuck into my skin. Amazingly I'd managed to avoid severing any major tendons or arteries. Thank God for demonic healing curses. "Is there any way a demon can resist a summons?"

Al glared at me in irritation. "No."

"Then why isn't Ash showing up?"

Al opened his mouth to reply, then shut it abruptly, a trace of consternation on his face. His eyes went distant for a few endless seconds, searching, and his brow creased further. "_Kaviashemedaeva_!" he bellowed, twisting his hand in a complicated gesture, and I felt the power of that summons so strongly that I wanted to obey it myself.

Nothing.

"He wasn't dead," I said, voice small. "He was stunned, but he was alive when Nick kidnapped me." I searched inwardly, seeking that connection deep within my soul that I'd always kind of resented. Was it still there? Without Ash actively messing around on the other end, I couldn't tell. I placed a hand on his mark, sending a little tentative pulse of power into it, but it did nothing.

"Where was this?"

"Some loft apartment somewhere...in reality. I'm pretty sure. Maybe Nick's place? Nick and Ku'Sox summoned him, and ambushed him."

Rachel suddenly looked interested. "An apartment? All one room, summoning circle etched in concrete on a raised platform? I know where that is," she said, when I nodded.

"They used a circle?" Al inquired.

"Yeah. Come to think of it, he was still lying in it, though it wasn't active. It didn't_ look _active," I corrected.

"The only way a demon could fail to answer a summons would be if said demon were dead. Or severed from the collective, which is the only way to kill a demon permanently. I suspect that's what Nicholas Gregory Sparagmos and Ku'Sox were attempting to do. In which case, he's as good as dead when the sun rises."

My heart gave a weird little sideways squeeze. Sunrise. Dawn had been close when I'd opened the doors of the church, perhaps minutes away. "What happens when the sun rises?"

"Our souls are tied to this shithole," Al said. "His soul will be pulled to a ley line, but it'll also remain tangled in his physical form, and..." Al made a ripping noise as he pulled an invisible line taut and snapped it.

"You mean he'll really die? Aren't demons immortal?"

"The curses that sustain us are tied to the collective. He'll be limited to the simplest ley line spells, because the database won't recognize him. Assuming he can tap a line at all. Even his stored curses will be useless. And he won't just die- his soul will be obliterated."

"Oh, God," I said, aghast.

"How long will it take once the sun comes up?" Rachel asked, her voice flat. She had no love for demons in general But as far as I knew, she'd never actually met Ash, so she had no especial reason to want him dead, either.

"As long as he can hold out. Minutes, I suspect," Al said. His own voice was also flat. He looked up again as if measuring time. "Maybe less. The sun just rose."

"Help him, Al," I said. "Please."

"Yvette Therese Sinclaire. I can't do shit in reality now that the sun has risen." He looked at me over his glasses, red goat-slitted eyes expressionless. "Without his connection to the collective, my tracking curses would be useless in any case."

"You've been there before, Al, remember?" Rachel asked. "It's where, Pierce, uh...made me pancakes," she said, a little wince on her face as Al's eyebrows rose in a leer. But he grunted with memory in lieu of replying, showing me that he was more concerned than he was trying to let on.

Ash was laying out there somewhere in reality, in the apartment of a dead man, soon to be a dead man himself. What could I do, anyway? Sure, I could walk in the sun, but what could I do if I got there? I wouldn't have a clue how to reestablish his bond to the collective so he could escape. Besides, it may already be too late- Ku'Sox may already have returned to him and finished the job.

I could have been relieved. Escape. I'd finally, finally escape him for good. No more mind games, no more fighting for freedom and dominance, no more heartache and pain. And I could let him go to his grave guilt free, for there was not a damned thing I could do to stop it.

There was something I could do. If I'd go that far. Ash would fucking kill me for doing it, too. He certainly wouldn't _thank _me.

"Send me," I insisted, forcing myself to stand. I was unsteady on my feet, at nearly the end of my strength. Ash's use of my power had burned out much of my own abilities. Burns, black curses, and cuts had turned my body into a mountain of agony, and blood loss had left me weak and wavering. And I had nothing to offer Al but what I couldn't bear to give away. But still I managed to stand up to face him, the demon who had nothing but contempt for me personally, and only suffered my presence because I was useful to his own protégé. "Tell me what to do to help him."

Al shrugged. "I haven't ever learned a curse that could sever a demon from the collective." He spread his hands helplessly. "I wouldn't know what counter-curse to use unless I was there to examine it. Newt may know one, but Ash will be dead before you can negotiate with her."

"Then come with me."

Al cocked his head, eyes glittering as he realized where I was going with this. "I cannot walk under the sun," he reminded me.

I drew a breath in protest of the fear tightening my chest. "Yes...you can."

"Evie." Rachel was beside me, and I realized she was holding me up. She of all people knew what I'd been through, dealing with Ash. She knew how confused my feelings for him were. "It's not your fault. You don't have to do this."

I leaned my head on her arm, this strong woman I had come to admire and love, and took what comfort I could. Rachel understood the driving need to fight the darkness and protect those she loved. For Ivy and Jenks, she'd sacrifice herself in a heartbeat. This wasn't death, and it wasn't out of unselfish love- I needed Ash, in a hundred different ways- but this I could do.

_He's mine,_ Therese whispered in my mind. _Mine to kill. Mine to keep._

Al regarded me for another endless minute. I realized I was trembling under his scrutiny, because he had me absolutely under his power and could pretty much demand anything of me he wanted, regardless of our former agreement. He had no love for Ash either, and in fact potentially had centuries of insults to avenge. He_ wasn't _leering in triumph, smirking in contempt, or evensmiling, and for that I was grateful. "As you wish," he said finally, and I sagged against Rachel. "I can do it with your willing cooperation."

"Agreed," I said without hesitation, as Rachel hissed through her teeth in frustrated disgust. "Hurry."

Without another word Al stepped away from me, crossing the room to retrieve a small vial from a locked cupboard. He held the curse out to me, uncorking it as he did so. "Drink this," he ordered.

I did so, hardly tasting the foulness as it burned its way down my throat. No going back now. "What's your price, Al?"

"To be determined," he said, a wicked little glint in his eye. "Time is of the essence. Do you really want to waste time negotiating now?"

My heart sank. No terms? I was writing him a blank check, here. But he was right, if I started protesting now, it would be too late. And simply by agreeing to this, I was telling him how desperate I was to save Ash. I was insane. I was screwed. I was probably going to spend eternity in a bottle. But still…"Two hours, tops," I said. "Then you let me go."

"Waste such a priceless curse on a mere two hours? Twenty-four hours at a bare minimum."

I hissed through my teeth at my own stubborn practicality, thinking Ash might already be dead. But if he were, signing away my soul would be doubly idiotic. "Sunset," I countered.

"Done," he agreed.

"Rachel. Hope's debt. It's yours, I give it to you. Just in case." I didn't trust my negotiating skills at the moment. I was mostly trusting Al to stick to his earlier agreement with me- after all, "let me go" could mean any number of things to a creative demon, including releasing my soul into a ley line.

"Sure, Evie," she said softly. "But I won't let Al hurt you, I promise."

"That is between Yvette and myself, student," Al replied firmly. He placed his gloved hands on my face, eyes eager.

"And no doing anything…icky," I said, unable to stop myself even though the bargain was already struck. "Or illegal."

"No promises on that," he said with a small, wicked twist to his lips that showed his flat, blocky teeth. "No more delays, dove. Time to let me in."

I stared into his alien, red, goat-slit pupils.

And I did.


	98. Forsaken

_This is the most difficult chapter I've ever written. Just so ya know. ;)_**  
**

**In Which a Soul is Reborn  
**

Ash still lay where he'd fallen, clinging to consciousness through sheer force of will.

He was going to die.

He'd faced death thousands of times, but always with the knowledge that he'd be bodily resurrected as soon as the collective curse kicked in. He'd died a thousand different ways, but the enduring renewal of the collective immortality had always yanked him back- willing or unwilling.

This time there was no collective. He had burned through nearly a dozen curses, and none had had any effect whatsoever. The binding of the copper circle crackled around him, more effective than any curse or physical restraint. Perhaps, at full strength, he could have burst it apart, but the fight with Ku'Sox had effectively drained him of all but the dregs in his_ chi._ Had he not had a demon woman for a familiar, he'd have died far more quickly. And just as permanently.

Evie.

He'd managed to bring her across, just before the demon had completed the curse to sever his connection to the collective. Evie had saved his life, and the human had stolen her. He couldn't find her now- being severed from the collective had rendered his mark on her inoperative. He searched the familiar bond, but so much power had flooded through it that the connections were burnt out and numb.

God, if he felt this wretched, what must his use of their bond have done to her? She'd be absolutely furious with him- probably she'd see it as a betrayal, and try to kill him. She'd be more furious still to find that sunrise had killed him before she could. He smiled a little mirthlessly at the thought. Given the choice, he' much rather face his demoness at the moment.

Sunlight. Ash hadn't seen the sun, the true sun, in for thousands of years- not since the day they called the Ever After into being, the eve of the great elven gathering. The circle was bathed in pre-dawn sunlight from the shattered windows and wall beside him, falling across his face in a warm, sweet, beautiful glow. He stared at the impending sliver of sun he could see, willing himself to survive long enough to see it fully rise above the horizon. It would be the last thing he'd ever see.

All he needed to do was _die,_ and his soul could escape to the lines. The bindings prevented him from tapping a line. Not even the simplest curse in his formidable stash was operative. Perhaps his claws could have rent his skin enough to bleed out, but even the simplest bodily transformation was beyond him now. He found himself laughing a little at the irony. He was a bringer of death, had killed and killed and killed thoughtlessly, relentlessly, had ended the lives of thousands upon thousands, and he couldn't even break this one frail physical form, the one time when it really counted. Perhaps he could stand, pull his last ounce of strength together and dash his own brains out on the concrete of the circle. Or tear his flesh with his blunt human teeth.

But Ash was tired.

_Escape,_ he thought. _Why am I fighting this? Why hold on any longer? _

Fear. Of what came next. Of dying with a soul as blackened and foul as his. Judgment. Justice.

No, that wasn't it, was it...? Because what would happen next was worse. Oblivion. Soul-death. Soul ripped apart as it was pulled slowly free of his mortal shell one spiritual molecule at a time, and flung into the implacable tides of the ley lines, too small and remote to even begin to regather. It was already beginning, as the gentle pre-dawn sunlight bore down on him. The Hell that he and the rest of demon-kind had created was calling him back home.

He shuddered and tried once again to reach Evie through their familiar bond. But once again, it was silent.

Evie.

She was dead. If the human hadn't killed her, Ku'Sox would have her by now. Even Ash winced as he contemplated what the insane creation would do to her as he ripped apart her fragile psyche. It would have been kinder to have let the fire consume her. The pain would have been brief, and her soul would have been safe.

Sunrise.

Light seared his eyes and agony seared his soul as the first sliver of sunlight fell on his skin. Ash's body heaved and clenched, bloody sweat dotting his skin. He fixed his eyes on the baleful, beautiful, deadly light that was tearing his soul to shreds. The light burned his eyes, and tears streamed from them as his soul fought to leave his body, but he couldn't look away. With the last of his power, he called a protective circle into his mind to protect his soul for as long as possible, but it could only dilute the sun's wrath, slowing the already excruciating sensations.

The oldest memories flaked away first, as his soul called them up to protect his mind. Long-buried, the torturous events that defined his early years rose to the surface. He relived the loss of his younger siblings to what the witches would call Rosewood, then his father to the elves, then his mother to her own mad hand. He witnessed the creation of the Ever After, the descent into the madness of raw creation, the triumph of surviving by scarring a ley line into reality, and followed by the realization of their entrapment. The degradation of discovering that the same curse that allowed them to cheat death was the same curse that barred them from holy places, leaving the elves places of absolute safety on sanctified ground. The day the elves escaped the shithole of the Ever After, then cursed the remaining paths to reality, barring demonkind from entering except by invitation. And centuries upon centuries upon centuries of loneliness, pain, betrayal, and the slow descent into this disgraceful, bottomless darkness.

The lies, the self-conceits, and the millenia of justifications were stripped bare, leaving him only with the bare essence of his life, and its futility. And its emptiness. The enforced viewing of his early life only brought out in stark relief how far from grace his kind had fallen.

And still, he fought to survive. He had no real hope of rescue, not if Evie were dead and the sun had risen. Perhaps Rachel, or even Newt, might sense his mental agony. The thought that Ku'Sox might have Evie provided him with enough rage to hold on for another few precious moments, and he fought to cling to the memory of the last five years, and how close he'd come to-

There was no denying how alive he'd felt since she'd come into his life, into his bed. He'd made himself so vulnerable, counter to everything he'd ever believed or been taught. He'd been such an idiot over her in so many ways. He wouldn't have traded a moment of it. Contrary to Al's predictions of disaster over his rashness, his death now had nothing to do with any of it- instead it was his own actions, and the misguided actions of his own kind, finally come back to haunt him. Fitting.

He hadn't protected her. She was a demoness, she should have been able to protect herself, but she stood no chance against their monstrous creation. Especially untrained. He'd taken responsibility for her training, hadn't taken it seriously, and now she was dead.

The sun was halfway above the horizon now, and his mental strength was failing. His breaths were tortured now as he clung to his mortal coil, unwilling to go gently into oblivion. He was suddenly furious. He was dying, damnit, and his dying thoughts were not going to be filled with regrets, and certainly not over a woman.

But they were.

And here, alone, at the end of his life, he could finally say it aloud, where she'd never hear him. "Yvette Therese Sinclaire. Evie. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Not as sorry as you'll be in a moment," she replied, and he snapped his head to where she stood, grinning down at him. As he gaped at her, only half aware and half alive, she reached out and twisted, breaking the bindings that severed his connection to the collective with an expert efficiency.

Instantly he felt the lines take him, even as power, his full power, crashed into the empty wells of his _chi. _ But it was wrong, so terribly wrong. His aura had been dissipated by the sun, his soul ravaged and torn. His mind was unprotected from the excruciating vortex of raw creation as he was yanked back to the reality his kind had created as a trap. He couldn't even scream as the lashing energies grabbed what remained of his soul and ripped it to shreds-

The collective curse caught him, cocooned him in layers upon layers of sticky, blackened smut. Every demon in the collective felt a brief, queasy pull as the common curse stole a small particle of their own life force to feed the most powerful curse they'd ever invented. It rebuilt Ashmedai, piece by agonizing piece, resetting him to the physical form he'd had thousands of years ago when they had cursed their own population for the sake of their survival.

Naked and shuddering, the newly reborn demon rematerialized in the heart of the desecrated, broken city that mirrored Cincinnati in reality. Ash lay there for a long moment, gasping, momentarily unable to recall how he'd gotten there. Bereft of his stored curses, he tried to sit up- and promptly fell over again as cold, queasy sweat dotted his skin. His aura was in shreds, his soul barely held together. But it was far less agonizing than it should have been. Squinting at his body with his second sight, he saw why- there was a cheerful green aura surrounding him, bathing him in what comfort it could give, filling in the cracks and gaps with bands of shifting color. His dazed brain took far too long to figure it out. Why would he be wearing someone's aura?

Familiar. He was someone's familiar.

He turned his head to find a woman watching him patiently, sitting on a thick iron traffic rail that was somehow still standing in the burning, crumbling desolation that surrounded them. The sickly light of the Ever After's faded sun shone on them, and the stinking wind lifted her hair in an uneven caress.

"Feeling better, cupcake?" she asked him, voice devoid of empathy.

He just blinked, confused, hurting. It was slowly coming back to him. The resurrection curse restored a demon to exactly where they were at the moment of its casting, thousands of years before- but the memories of the lifetime lived since had to be supplied by the mind and soul, and both were still reeling from the shock of his recent death and rebirth. A woman? A female demon woman? Why did he find himself staring at her in confused wonder? Perhaps because he'd never seen this one before. He knew them all, and this one was new. Why was that so shocking? Because there wasn't anyone new. Not since the elven curse.

"I imagine you're pretty confused now, but it'll all come back to you," the woman said. "But let me give you the quick version: We're mutual familiars, believe it or not. I just saved your miserable soul- not that it matters, because I already own it. You've been trying to ensnare me since we met, but you've failed. You've failed as a mate. You even failed as a familiar, screwing up our bond when we needed it most. And now you've failed as my _yazataksh_. I had to turn to Algaliarept instead."

He stared at her, openmouthed, unable to hide his shock at her words. He had no memory of this woman, but he could feel the bond between them, shimmering and vibrant with life. _Mutual familiars? Mate? _

"I'm sure everything I'm saying is pretty much meaningless right now, but I have to say it now. Because I'm not going to stick around waiting for you to get it together for much longer." She continued to gaze at him calmly with wide, beautiful eyes. He noticed, in a detached way, that she had the round pupils of the witches, which was a little odd. Her voice also seemed off, the cadence and patterns somehow wrong…but not in a way that he could pinpoint, and he was rapidly not caring. She was speaking to wound him, and was doing so with clinical effiency. His stomach clenched with dread. If she were speaking the truth, then a woman he'd pursued was viciously rejecting him, without emotion, without pity. Sourness rose in his throat, turning to bitterness as his wounded pride began to rise up and fight back

"I don't know why I let myself toy with you for so long. Look at you- you're already riled up and you don't even remember me yet. Way too easy." Her lips curled into a cruel, sensual smile. "Too easy to seduce, too easy to anger, too easy to manipulate. My beautiful, flawed Demon of Wrath. But there's nothing more you can give me. I'll miss you. For a little while, anyway."

Ash forced himself to sit, trying to ignore the queasy sensation of his aura struggling to keep up with his physical body. He was too angry at her words to formulate any of his own, yet. But his eyes nearly glowed with his yearning to reach for her, to catch this arrogant female and rip her apart. Was she lying? Manipulating him when he was vulnerable? What was her game?

She tilted her head and looked him over clinically. "Your aura's going to be weak for awhile. Your soul needs to recover from the sun. I'll let you keep mine that long. For old time's sake. Then, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take back what's mine. I have to train in earnest and you're just not up to the challenge. Look back on how badly you bungled it before you get all pissy about it." She slid off the rail and stood, straightening her clothing in a manner that triggered another familiar ping in his memory, but he was too bewildered and confused to pay it heed.

He tried to tap a line, and felt the shock of raw ley line energy like a jolt of cold straight into his mind. Releasing the line, he attempted to draw power through their familiar bond, but she'd dammed up her side of the link between them.

"I'll…I'll kill you." His voice was surprisingly calm and level, given the overflow of emotion that was surging through his control. Worse, this was only reaction to the taunting of a stranger. What would he feel when he recalled everything? Everything about this woman was familiar- the bond, the features, her intoxicating, brilliant scent. There was truth here, and it was going to hurt. It was going to destroy him…if being trapped on the surface without magic or stored curses, unable to die, didn't destroy him first.

"I'm sure you'll try," she replied, dismissing him. "Good bye, my love."

She vanished without another word, leaving him alone.


	99. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It was dark, but the woods were alive with unseen danger.

Evie ran, feeling the branches whip at her skin and tear at her clothing. Pine and other forest scents reached her nose, as well as the fearsome reek of burnt amber.

She knew she wasn't actually in these woods. She knew that she was in a bottle. Al had put her soul in a bottle, while he ran off with her body. A willing transfer, to be complete at sunset. She wasn't sure if she was worried or relieved that she wouldn't have to be there, trapped in her own skin, watching helplessly. Instead she was trapped in here, with only her own mind.

It didn't matter. She'd been trapped ever since that night in the woods. She'd never escaped it. The evidence was all around her. The night of the summoning had shaped her entire life, and everything she'd done since to atone hadn't been enough. Her life had ended that night. She'd lived in this personal hell for over thirty years. It didn't matter whether she was physical, trying to escape her heritage, or stuck in the confines of her own mind running from the demons of her own imagination.

Ash would be absolutely furious with her. Even if her decision _had _saved his life. Al had given her his reassurance that he would do all in his power to ensure Ash's survival. But he would see it as a betrayal. She'd given herself to Al to do it. Even if only for a half a day. She had already imagined the conversation:

_Why, Evie? _

_You'd rather I just let you die?_

_But you gave yourself, your soul, to another. How could you betray me like this? _

_I had to. You're mine. The worlds will collide and the sun will shine on our bones, and you will still be my demon. I gave him my soul, but not my heart. Never my heart._

_And what good is your heart to me now? That was never what I wanted from you._

It was fitting, this personal hell. She accepted it.

Yet still, she ran. Perhaps someday she'd turn and fight again, or simply surrender, but for now...running was easier.

A demon coalesced before her, and she skidded to a halt, recognizing him. His solid reality snapped her out of the dreamy horror of her mindscape, reminding her again why she was here. "Sunset already?" she asked.

Al's face was serious, sober, not a trace of humor on his ruddy features. He made a gesture which seemed to ripple outward from his fingers, shattering the dreamscape into formless masses and swirling confusion, until she opened her eyes with a gasp and realized she was back in a physical form. Al appeared beside her a moment later, expression unchanged.

Evie looked around expectantly, and saw nobody but herself and Al. Rachel was gone, too. "Al…?" she asked questioningly.

Al's hesitation was all it took to make her stomach clench. She didn't need to hear him to know what he was going to say, and felt the blood drain from her face, felt sense draining from her world as inevitably sand drains from an hourglass, as life drains from a wound.

"I was unable to save him," Al said. "Kaviashemedaeva died."

* * *

_This ends "In the Ever Afterlife." The story will be continued in the next novel "A Mile With Sorrow." Expect the next chapter soon! _

_If you have any questions about anything in this novel, I'd love to answer them. I'll use the next chapter to do that, simply because I really, really want a chapter 100. ;) But no spoilers about what happens next!  
_


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